The Importance of the Name
by Writing bunny
Summary: A near-death experience early into his career as shinigami forces Ichigo to take his new duties more seriously. What would his more serious approach change?
1. Learning the Name

**Author's note: **Hello everybody. I'm back with a new story. I have quite a bit of it already prewritten, so I'll be updating regularly every week until I run out of completed chapters. After that the updates will come whenever I write them.

Those who read my other epic-length stories might have gotten used to mu illustration. This story will have them too. Look at my Author's profile page for a link to my DeviantArt page. You'll find an illustration for the first chapter there.

On another note: my serious Bleach fics are connected. This is tied to both On the Frozen Plain and Stinging Bee (except parts of its last chapter). You don't need to read them to understand this, but if you did, you might spot a familiar character somewhere or a reference to a scene that happened in another fic. It's just a little bonus for some of my readers.

Also, I finally found a beta-reader. It's xJ11Cx and (s)he says this chapter is okay. I thank him for his work.

That's about all I wanted to say. Now on to the story and tell me whether it is any good.

**The Importance of the Name**

**Chapter 1: Learning the Name**

"Don't fidget," Rukia commanded while healing Ichigo's wounds. "It is much easier to patch you together if you don't."

"Okay," the young acting shinigami answered, "I'm trying to lie still, it's just that there's a stone digging into my back, and it's quite painful."

"It can't possibly hurt more than those gashes," the currently powerless shinigami girl argued.

"It sounds strange, but it does," the Strawberry replied with a grimace.

"That's really strange, because you got nearly torn to shreds," Kuchiki commented.

"I don't like it any more than you do. That Hollow was just too strong. And that regeneration was a pain too. No matter how much I cut it, it kept coming back." And now matter how wounded it was, it kept coming like it even didn't feel pain. Ichigo had to cut its mask into several pieces before it finally dissipated.

"Such Hollows really are the most dangerous," Rukia nodded. "If I just had my Sode no Shirayuki, it would have been no problem."

"Your what?" the redhead didn't understand.

"Sode no Shirayuki. My zanpakutou," the girl explained.

"You give names to those things?" Ichigo asked showing a lot of disbelief on his face.

"No, we don't give them names." Rukia looked at him like he was stupid. "They have their own. Discovering your zanpakutou's name is an important step for every shinigami."

"Why is it so important?" the carrot top asked, mainly to distract himself from the rock digging into his back. And also the four deep gashes in his torso and numerous smaller wounds.

"Because it's the key to unlocking their power," Rukia explained.

"What power?" Now the Substitute was genuinely interested. If he just had more power, he wouldn't be lying in the dirt with Rukia healing him now.

"Every zanpakutou is different," the petite girl explained. "For example, my Sode no Shirayuki is an ice elemental type zanpakutou. Her dances are designed to entrap the opponent in ice, freeze him and then shatter him."

"I can see how it would have come in handy today," Ichigo muttered. He'd like to see the Hollow try to regenerate that. But then something occurred to him. "If it is so awesome, why didn't you use it the day my family was targeted? That way you could have dealt with it easily and you wouldn't have lost your powers."

Now Rukia looked both downcast and ashamed. She remained silent for a moment. Ichigo thought she wasn't going to answer, but then she spoke.

"I underestimated it. I thought I wouldn't need it, that I could save my reiryoku for tougher opponents. I wasn't paying attention, I was scolding you, and it got the drop on me. And then I was too weakened by my wounds to use my shikai anymore."

"Shikai?" Kurosaki raised an eyebrow.

"That's what the initial release of the zanpakutou is called," Kuchiki explained.

"Initial release?" Ichigo repeated. "Does that mean there is a second release to?"

"Yes," she nodded, "but only a handful can achieve it. Even the shikai is something only half of the shinigami learn to use. And it's not something you should concern yourself with. Once my powers return, you can forget all about my world."

"Forget about you? That would be impossible."

"Baka!" she hit his head. "You know that lending you my power was illegal. You can only get in trouble."

"I don't care. It's worth it."

"You say that now," Rukia muttered. "And get up, you're all healed."

"Thanks," he grinned. He was so glad he could finally get off the rock. He got up and walked over to the giant blade lying nearby. He picked it up and eyed it like it was the first time he saw it.

"So Sode no Shirayuki," he muttered. But as soon as he said it, there was a feeling of wrongness. Like the sword didn't like being called this name. Rukia laughed.

"Of course this isn't Sode no Shirayuki."

"No?" the carrot-top raised an eyebrow.

"No. The zanpakutou is part of every shinigami's soul, did you forget?"

"I'm sure you never told me before," Kurosaki replied.

"I did. I even drew a diagram!" Rukia answered with irritation.

"Ah, that must be why," Ichigo nodded in understanding.

"And just what was that supposed to mean?" Rukia asked smacking Ichigo over the head.

"I remember now," Ichigo said hurriedly. "Your picture was very enlightening. I can't believe I forgot about it. You were saying?"

"I was saying that every zanpakutou is a part of the soul of the shinigami wielding it. That's why only I can wield Sode no Shirayuki."

"Then what's this?" Ichigo hefted his blade.

"Just an asauchi," Rukia shrugged.

"And that's what?"

"A nameless zanpakutou," she explained. "All weak shinigami wield such."

"Hey! I'm not weak!" the redhead took offense.

"While I admit you have considerable power, you aren't a real shinigami," Kuchiki explained. "That's why you can't have a real zanpakutou. And now return to your body, or you are going to give a scare to that old woman who is about to discover it."

"Oh." Ichigo realized that there really was an old lady about to reach the alley where he left his soulless body. He raced to reach it before she did. But before he entered it, he took one last glance at his sword.

_Nameless? _he mused. _I don't think so. You do have a name, don't you? _He couldn't be sure, but he thought he sensed approval coming from the blade. _So what's your name? _he asked. He didn't get an answer. But he was determined to discover it. He grinned when he imagined Rukia's face when he'd show her.

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Ever since then, the thought of his sword's name refused to leave his mind. He tried talking to Rukia to ask her how he should go around about discovering his zanpakutou's name, but she only laughed him off. She remained firm in her belief that because he wasn't a real shinigami, he couldn't have a real zanpakutou, but he knew she was wrong. His blade had a name, he was getting more and more certain about it with each passing day. If only he had any inkling to what it could be.

If he couldn't have that, he at least asked Rukia to teach him more about the arts of shinigami. She readily agreed. That near-death experience had really spooked both of them. Ichigo learned more about sword techniques, enhancing his strength and speed, detecting reiatsu, improving his ability from hopeless to merely bad, raising his reiatsu for tough battles, though he still didn't get the hang on suppressing it when no fight was going on, and even some basics of Kidou, though his attempts at Hadou #31: Shakkahou either looked like a werelight or exploded in his palm, making Rukia compare him to some Renji character and forbid him trying to use it in battle. And he kept trying to talk to his zanpakutou. Sometimes he thought there was a voice answering him, but it was too faint and he couldn't make out the words. A small voice in his head was telling him that this was only temporary, that once Rukia regained her powers, he would lose his, but he didn't believe it. He felt that the power was his to keep, though he couldn't explain why he was so sure.

All the shinigami training was causing him trouble at school, but he didn't regret it. He came to be especially grateful for it when the Grand Fisher appeared about a month later. Without all his extra abilities, he doubted he would have been able to survive the fight, much less win. And what would have become of his sisters than? The sight of Yuzu dangling in the monster's paw was one that was going to frequent his nightmares for a long time to come. He only regretted that he wasn't able to avenge his mother. He thought he had defeated the Fisher, but then he realized that the Hollow transferred its 'core' to the lure and escaped before he realized what happened. But he wasn't too unhappy about it. Everybody was alright and that was all that mattered.

Life was good until the day he accepted the Quincy's challenge.

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Orihime cowered before the onslaught of her possessed classmates. She was on the verge of despair. She had tried to convince her friends to leave, but she couldn't do it without mentioning what the problem was. And who would believe her that there was a huge tentacle monster with hearts for eyes? They would think she was even crazier than they thought now. Maybe she should have been more forceful. But she didn't know how to do that. And now they were all going to die.

Then she heard several loud slaps and the barrage disappeared. She dared to look up.

"What are you guys doing?" Tatsuki's angry voice cut through the air.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime exclaimed. She was torn between feeling relieved and worried. On one hand, she was glad to have her long-term friend and protector here, on the other, she wasn't sure that Tatsuki's karate prowess would be enough to defeat this monstrosity, especially if she couldn't even see it.

"I'm sorry, Orihime, I didn't realize it earlier that this thing was here."

"This thing? You can see it?" Inoue asked a bit surprised.

"Yes," Tatsuki answered. "It's a bit blurry, but I can see it well enough. The huge one!" she faced the Hollow. "You mistook who it is you're fighting! Come and get it! Since the old days I have always been the one who beats the shit out of those who make Orihime cry!"

Then the fight begun. Tatsuki managed to beat the possessed students easily enough, they had absolutely no style or tactics. They were just marching straight to their target, trying to overwhelm the two girls with their numbers.

"Come on, what's wrong? None of you are a match for me!" the dark-haired girl taunted.

"Oh my, such a lively girl," the monster spoke. "That's fine. The livelier a girl's face, the prettier it is when it contorts to tears!" And then the downed students rose again in another onslaught. Tatsuki managed to fight them off for a while, but then one managed to grab her from behind and with her movements limited, she soon found herself completely restrained. She felt something entering her shoulder, but strangely enough, there was no pain.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime cried desperately from where she was being held down by three of their possessed classmates.

The monster began gloating. It explained how the seeds that had just hit her were going to take control of her body and make her do its bidding. And then it began thinking up possible gruesome fates for Orihime, while the red-haired girl listened with tearful eyes. Tatsuki cursed herself for not realizing the danger earlier. There had been the strange feeling in the air and then Orihime began acting oddly, trying to usher them away. And she didn't heed her warnings, opting instead to change her clothes instead, secure in her belief that there was nothing she couldn't handle. And now they were both going to die a gruesome death because of her overconfidence. She looked at her clenched fists. She was always so proud of her ability to beat up anyone, but now it did them no good. Tatsuki couldn't bear it anymore. She was supposed to be the strong one, the one protecting her friend. Not the one who was bound and in need of rescue herself. She won't suffer it.

She felt something inside give way. Something shifted and it felt as if something fell into place. Suddenly she didn't feel powerless and desperate anymore. She bit into one of the hands holding her. It let go with a jerk, giving her a little space to move. She used it to all it was worth. She jabbed her elbow into the stomach of a second attacker and stomped on the foot of the third. A few more hits and she was free.

"I'm going to kill you," she growled. The monster looked startled. It fired another of its seeds at her, but it was slow. She saw it coming from a mile away and dodged easily. Then she started after the tentacle thingy.

Even though its face was like a mask, it still managed to look shocked. It barely had the time to raise one of its appendages before Tatsuki's strike landed. Bloody gashes appeared all over the tentacle and the Hollow wailed in pain. Tatsuki kicked it. The wounded tentacle fell apart.

"Unforgivable!" the monster roared shooting multiple spores at once. Tatsuki tried her best to dodge, but there were too many to avoid completely. She felt three more entering her body and she was knocked down. The Hollow used the brief reprieve to escape to the school roof.

Tatsuki picked herself up, considering what she should do. The monster was momentarily out of reach and its cursed seeds were working their magic on her. She already couldn't use her left arm and she knew she was going to lose control over more body parts soon. She had no time to use the stairs to get up. It would just jump down and hurt Orihime.

Before she could come up with a plan, she was attacked by her possessed classmates again. She found it very hard to defend with only one arm. She struck the seed embedded in her left shoulder and it shattered, but her arm remained useless. No good. Then she felt a punch flying towards her neck and when she tried to dodge, her leg refused to obey her. She had only the time to think _crap _before her world turned to darkness.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime cried in despair. No! This couldn't be happening! Not Tatsuki-chan! Who would protect her now? No! She can't be forever the one being protected. Now it was her turn to protect Tatsuki-chan. She felt something moving inside her chest, a wave of warmth and light rising. Her hairpins disappeared, transforming into six little fairies. After that, the fight ended shortly.

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Ichigo was staring at the monstrosity crawling out of the tear in the sky. His first impression was that it was huge. Much, much bigger than any Hollow he had seen before. The second one was that it was powerful. Its spiritual pressure easily dwarfed everything he had felt before. It made the monstrosity extremely scary, despite its grotesquely clownish appearance.

"What the hell is that?" he asked no-one in particular.

"I have no idea," Ishida replied. He too was staring at the giant wide-eyed.

Ichigo cursed himself for not finding and stopping the last Quincy sooner, but it felt to him like every time he made three steps in any direction, a Hollow popped out and he had to stop and fight it. None of them had been particularly difficult opponents, most of them requiring no more than one or two strikes, but there was just no end to them. He had never imagined that there could be so many Hollows in the world. Where were they coming from? He could only hope that his family and friends were alright. And he wished Rukia was here now. He could use her guidance. He was sure she could give him some sound advice in this situation. She always could. But instead only Urahara and his crew appeared. And though their assistance was welcome, it just wasn't the same.

They watched in astonishment as the giant ate the regular Hollows in vicinity.

"What can we do about this thing?" Uryuu asked. "It's enormous."

"We just cut at it until nothing is left," Ichigo decided. He tried to sound confident, even if he didn't feel that way. But really, what else could he do? He had to protect the people of Karakura after that idiot of a Quincy put them all in danger because of some silly old grudge. He remembered everything Rukia had taught him. _Concentrate. Send your reiryoku to your blade. Keep it concentrated. Attack!_

He sprung forward, sword poised to strike. He swung with all his might, slashing the Menos' leg. It cut deep, but failed to sever the limb. The giant Hollow kicked absentmindedly, like a horse swatting away a fly, and sent Kurosaki sailing through the air. He landed in a heap at Ishida's legs. The Quincy began scolding him on his lousy battle tactics. _Like you had one, _Ichigo thought climbing on his feet. _So what did we learn from this? That thing isn't invulnerable, just tough. All it needs is more power. _He attacked again. The results were the same as the first time. _Oh well, he thought, if I slash at it long enough, its leg will eventually come off._

Ishida grabbed his bow, preparing to scold him again. But then his spiritual bow suddenly grew twice as tall as he was. He stared at it in bewilderment, and then a plan formed in his head. He began explaining it to Kurosaki, but suddenly paused. There was a change in the Menos' reiatsu. It was rising. Both teenagers turned around to see what was going on. A red light was forming between the Hollow's jaws.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked.

"No idea," Ishida admitted.

There was no time to think. Whatever the giant Hollow was doing, it was undoubtedly dangerous. Probably more dangerous than anything he had encountered before. He had to act and stop it and he had to do it now. He gripped the handle of his sword harder. _Give me strength, _he asked the blade silently. He could feel its silent reassurance and a feeling of power seeping through his veins. Beside him, Uryuu was still describing his master plan, but the redhead paid him no mind. He dashed forward.

The Gillian finished charging the Cero and fired. Thick, red beam of concentrated energy headed straight towards the young shinigami. Ichigo swung his sword against it. The zanpakutou connected with the beam. The Cero was powerful. So powerful. The teen could feel it pushing him back, threatening to overcome his defense any moment. There was a flash of light and suddenly Ichigo found himself falling. A feeling of vertigo overcame him.

He was lying on something smooth, cold and hard, but he didn't remember the impact with the surface. What did happen? Where was he? How did he get there? Was he dead?

"Ichigo," a voice called his name. "Ichigo." He realized that the speaker had been calling him for quite some time. He sat up, looking for the source of the voice. There, on a metal pole extending from the glassy plane he was sitting on, stood a man. He was garbed in strange black clothes, his long wavy hair bellowing round his shoulders, his cold pale eyes hidden behind light brown shades.

"Who are you?" the teenager asked.

"Who am I?" The man looked at him like he was stupid. "It's me, ~~~~~~~~." Ichigo couldn't understand the last word the stranger said, but now he thought about it, the voice sounded familiar.

"Are you my zanpakutou?"

"Yes."

"So where are we?" the boy asked looking around. He made to stand up but immediately sat down again, when he took in his surroundings. He was sitting on a wall of a skyscraper. Clearly seeing the ground down below and the sky high up, only they didn't seem down and up but behind and in front of him. It was like the gravity got bored with pulling things down all the time and decided to drag them horizontally instead. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to get back to work anytime now and he'd plummet to his death on the pavement.

"Don't look so scared," the spirit told him. "This is your inner world. You won't fall."

"Why is everything sideways?" Ichigo's voice was trembling a bit. Despite the zanpakutou's reassurance, it was hard to believe that he wasn't going to fall.

"It represents your heart and mind."

"Are you telling me I'm skewed in the mind?" Ichigo sounded more curious than offended.

"No."

"Then why is everything sideways?" the redhead didn't understand.

"You should know best," the sword spirit answered mysteriously.

"But I don't," the shinigami sighed.

"Maybe you'll understand once," the man shrugged. "But that isn't important right now."

"Than what is?"

"The battle you're fighting." Oh yes, the giant, freakishly strong Hollow. How could he have forgotten?

"Damn, I have no time! I have to get back!"

"No, you don't. No time passes in the outside world while you are here."

"That's good to hear." Ichigo was relieved. He really didn't want to think about what might be happening to his spiritual body if that wasn't the case.

"So why am I here?" he asked.

"Do you have to ask?" the man tilted his head sideways. "I thought it was obvious." Ichigo paused for a moment to think about it. Why would he be here when there was a freakish giant Hollow about to fry him with its energy beam? Now he formulated the question this way, the answer really did seem obvious.

"Because I need your power."

"Yes," the dark-haired man nodded. "I thought you were ready to hear my name, but it seems you aren't on the level yet."

"Maybe you can try it again?" Ichigo pleaded. "I almost got it the last time."

"Do you think it will help?" the zanpakutou questioned.

"It better have to," Kurosaki answered. "Otherwise I'm toast. We're both toast."

"Then listen well. My name is ~~~~~~~~."

"Eh, sorry," Ichigo scratched his head in embarrassment. "I guess it didn't help after all."

"What did you expect?" the zanpakutou spirit shrugged. "Did you really think you have improved significantly within the last minute?"

"When you put it that way, it really sounds stupid. But what else can I do? If I don't get some extra power soon, I'm going to end up as a stain on the ground."

"I can help you only if you are receptive to my help," the zanpakutou spirit replied.

"What does that mean?" the boy wanted to know.

"Exactly what I said," the man answered.

"Thanks, old man," Ichigo muttered sarcastically, "that really helped."

"It would help more if you thought about it," the black-clad man suggested.

"I don't have the time to think!" the redhead shouted. "I have to fight or that thing will kill me and who knows who else."

"Didn't you listen?" the zanpakutou spirit scolded. "I told you no time passes outside."

"Yeah." Ichigo calmed down a bit. "But it's hard to actually believe it, you know?" The man didn't answer. "You're not making it any easier," the Strawberry complained.

"I'm not supposed to make it easier. You have to deserve it."

"Deserve it? How?"

"That's for you to figure out."

"Thanks a lot," Ichigo replied sarcastically. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing mind. So talking to the spirit didn't help. What else could he do? What did Rukia say about shikai beside that he won't be able to ever achieve it? That he'd need to learn the name. So far, it wasn't helping. But there must have been something else. Some actually helpful hint. If he could just remember and recognize it as such... Oh, wait, didn't she once mention the shinigami works in harmony with their zanpakutou? He wasn't sure what the 'harmony' exactly meant, but arguing with the spirit probably wasn't it. Well, it was an idea worth a try.

"Old man?" he asked. The spirit looked at him intently. "Uh, I know we probably started on the wrong foot, but... I'd really like if we could go along better. I probably don't have the right to demand anything of you, but could you please help me deal with that giant Hollow so we can learn to get along later?"

The spirit smiled slightly. "Of course I can. As long as you would listen, I can help you. Now, go back. And remember. My name is..."

The sound was nearly drowned by the roar of the Hollow, when Ichigo suddenly found himself back in the real world, being pushed back by the weird energy beam. His muscles were straining, barely able to hold off the attack anymore. But the name was still echoing in his mind.

"Zangetsu!" he called and immediately he could feel the rush of power racing through him. He thought the hilt in his hands changed shape slightly, but he paid it little attention. The Hollow was a more pressing concern.

He pushed against the Cero and suddenly it was easy to slice through it. He swung with all his might and he could see something separating from his blade, surging forward towards the grotesque creature. He couldn't see it clearly, his eyes were blinded by the light of the Cero.

Then the attack suddenly stopped. Ichigo blinked to clear his eyes. The giant Hollow was cut from its shoulder down, both halves of it falling to the ground. It let out an ear-bursting soul-shattering shriek. Ichigo nearly faltered, but regained his composure quickly. He had to act promptly, while he could still feel Zangetsu's power inside him. He raced towards the Hollow's head, reaching it just as it hit the ground. One mighty swing of his blade cut through the clownish mask. The Menos slowly dissipated into spiritual matter.

Ichigo sighed in relief. That had been close. Then he sank to his knees as fatigue suddenly hit him. The fight had taken more of him than he originally thought.

"_It wasn't the fight,"_ Zangetsu's voice sounded in his head. _"It was summoning me for the first time that took so much of your energy. Next time it will be easier."_

"Thanks. I don't think I could endure another battle like this."

"Who are you talking to, Kurosaki?" Ishida's voice interrupted.

"Uh..." Ichigo hesitated. What would the Quincy think if he said he was talking to his sword? And why did it matter what he would think?

"_You don't have to talk to me aloud," _Zangetsu said. _"I can hear your thoughts."_

"_That's good to know," _Ichigo thought before the exhaustion caught up with him and he fainted.

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Orihime, Chad and Tatsuki were watching Ichigo and Uryuu fight the Menos Grande from the window of a nearby building.

"So that's the world Urahara-san was talking about," Orihime observed.

"Yes," Tatsuki answered. She hated just watching idly. She wanted to be out there and help and she was sure Chad felt the same, but she understood that this battle was far above her current level.

"So I guess this is where we have to decide whether to step through the door or not," Orihime commented.

"No, it's not," Tatsuki opposed.

"What do you mean, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked in confusion.

"Look there," the dark-haired girl pointed. "Now that you've seen it, can you really return to your old life and pretend this never happened?"

"No," the redhead shook her head. Chad mirrored her action.

"So you see it. That Urahara fellow is a trickster. He led us here because he knew there was only one possible choice for us now." She had nearly attacked the businessman when they had awoken in his shop and her opinion of him didn't improve a bit since then.

"Don't speak about him like that," Orihime protested. "He saved us."

"Only after we saved ourselves," Tatsuki scoffed. "If he really was such a philanthrope as he says, he would have acted immediately."

"Maybe he couldn't get to us sooner," Orihime theorized.

"No," Tatsuki shook her head, "he's far too resourceful for that. He wanted us to use our powers first. I tell you, that guy's plotting something."

"But what?" the long-haired girl questioned.

"I wish I knew," Tatsuki sighed.

"Do you regret gaining your powers?" Chad asked.

"No," Tatsuki replied. "Not at all." Orihime nodded in agreement.

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"I still can't believe you really did it," Rukia shook her head. For somebody to defeat a Menos Grande, that was a feat worthy of the best of the best in the Soul Society. It usually fell to captains, though lieutenants were also capable of it, though with great effort. She had never heard of anyone below Third Seat accomplishing it.

"I have trouble believing it myself too," Ichigo replied. He had woken up in his bed a short while earlier, feeling tired, but no longer about to pass out. Today's battle felt surreal to him; if it wasn't for the soft hum of Zangetsu's presence in the back of his mind, he would doubt his memories. But as it was, he was glad that it happened. After discovering his zanpakutou's name, he felt complete, like he never did before. "Guess I should thank Ishida," he muttered. "Even if he's a jerk."

"What?" Rukia blinked in confusion. "Why would you do that?"

"If he didn't release the Hollow bait, I wouldn't have talked to old man Zangetsu today," the carrot-top explained.

"That's another thing I don't understand," the petite girl said. "How could a mere Substitute acquire a zanpakutou, let alone shikai? It's unheard of."

"Well," Ichigo scratched his head, "I guess it isn't so unheard of anymore."

"Don't make fun of it," Kuchiki scolded him. "It's a serious matter."

"Of course it is."

"So how did you do it?" she inquired. He shrugged.

"As I was about to get blasted by that energy beam thing, I suddenly appeared in the weird sideways world, saw that old guy, talked to him for a while and he told me his name," the redhead explained.

"This doesn't explain it."

"It's the only explanation I have," Ichigo shrugged.

"But I still don't understand it," Rukia sighed. "How could you have a zanpakutou? And one different from mine? You aren't a real shinigami."

"I am," Ichigo stated.

"You're just a substitute," the girl argued. "You had no shinigami powers before I gave you mine. So how is this possible?"

"I have no idea," Kurosaki shrugged. "I just know that it is possible and that I'm glad it is."

"Yeah," Rukia sighed. She still didn't know what happened here, but she knew one thing for certain: there was no way the Soul Society could have missed what had transpired today. And that meant one thing: they'll be getting visitors soon. Her time here was up.

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Rukia was running. She didn't like it a bit, but she had no choice. The time she had spent in the Living World, with Ichigo and his friends, it didn't matter whether hunting Hollows or just hanging out and talking about this and that, it felt all like a dream to her. A dream she had to wake up from. The time when she could just be herself, without the restrictions placed upon her as a member of the noble Kuchiki house, was the happiest in her life. She wished she could have stayed longer, but that would mean putting the redhead in danger. She had already stayed for far too long. The hunters from the Soul Society were nearby, she could feel them despite her powers still being depleted.

She prayed that Ichigo would not follow her. She had left him a note saying so, but she couldn't be sure he would obey. But it was Ichigo. He was almost certain to disobey. She could only hope he would take long enough for everything to be over by the time he'd arrive. He might be unbelievably strong, but he was still no match for the true elites of the Gotei 13 and Onmitsukidou.

"Kuchiki Rukia, Found ya!" She had been expecting it, but still the voice nearly made her heart stop. She slowly turned around. Sure enough, there stood her once-time best friend Renji and behind him...

"Nii-sama," she whispered. That was bad. If Ichigo indeed did show up, he wouldn't stand a chance.

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Rukia watched as Ishida collapsed to the ground. Why did the Quincy have to come to her assistance? Was it his stupid pride or what? He stood no chance against Nii-sama or even Renji. She could tell that he wasn't dead, but his condition would become serious if he spent the night out in the cold. She hoped somebody would find him soon. The street was deserted at this time of night, but some late walker would appear, wouldn't he? Almost as soon as she thought it somebody did appear. She shuddered as the familiar reiatsu slammed into her. _Ichigo, you idiot, _she thought. _Why couldn't you heed my warning?_

Kurosaki completely ignored her pleading glance telling him to run. Rukia really should learn to trust in his abilities more. Didn't he just achieve shikai? He was eager to test it on those two guys that had come to capture her. When the red-haired tattooed punk ridiculed 'the stupidly huge sword on his back,' it made him that more determined to show him what Zangetsu's released form could do.

Renji attacked first, cocky and assured of his victory. He showered Ichigo with slashes. Kurosaki had to admit that his opponent was good. His strikes were strong and fast. Ichigo had to raise his reiatsu to keep up with him. When he got bored of it, he went on the offensive. He swung Zangetsu at Renji, causing the lieutenant to jump back in surprise. Ichigo immediately followed up with another attack. Abarai was hard-pressed to defend.

After a minute of this, Renji jumped back to create distance between them.

"I have to admit that you are good," he spoke, "but it isn't enough."

"Oh?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "It looks like you're the one pushed back."

"That's because I wasn't fighting with my true strength," the lieutenant explained. "I will be now. Howl, Zabimaru!" Ichigo watched as Renji's sword lengthened and changed into something that looked like a saw. "Behold the sword that will take your life and then Rukia will regain her powers."

"Big words," Ichigo scoffed. So Renji's reiatsu rose and his sword grew, but it still wasn't something he couldn't deal with. In the next instant he was forced to reassess his opinion. Zabimaru suddenly lengthened, aiming for his neck. When Ichigo blocked it, the blade curled around Zangetsu and bit into his shoulder deeply. Ichigo cried out in pain, nearly dropping his sword.

"So you see the difference between our strengths now?" Renji sneered.

"No," Ichigo replied. He raised his reiatsu further and attacked Renji. The tattooed lieutenant was completely taken aback by the sudden increase in his speed and strength. But he wasn't a lieutenant for nothing and through his greater skill and experience held his own against a clearly superior opponent. But eventually Ichigo prevailed, knocking Zabimaru from his hand. Renji stared at it in shock.

"So who's the stronger one now?" he asked, raising Zangetsu to finish his opponent. The other redhead had really pissed him.

What happened next was so fast that he barely saw a blur. Pain suddenly exploded in his chest and he felt weak. He realized that the other guy was standing behind him now. He had been so quiet that Ichigo had completely forgotten about his presence until he chose to act.

"You're slow," the man Rukia called 'brother' said in a condescending tone. "Even when toppling down." Ichigo wanted to wipe the arrogant expression on his face, but he couldn't. All his strength had left him. He could only collapse to the ground, Zangetsu falling from his limp fingers and reverting to his original form. He watched helplessly as the two shinigami grabbed Rukia, preparing to take her away. He had to do something, even with his weakened body. He grabbed Byakuya's pants.

To his surprise, it was Rukia who stomped on his wrist. As he listened to her rant about coming to her senses, he wondered who she was trying to fool. She certainly didn't sound like she believed a word of what she was saying. When she turned to him and told him that if he followed her, she would never forgive him, he was struck by the look of desperation on her face. He resolved to save her, no matter what. But as he watched the party walk through the Senkaimon and disappear from his sight, he wondered how he was going to accomplish it. He felt so weak he couldn't even move. He was bleeding, his blood mixing with the rain that started the moment the Senkaimon closed. He found it oddly appropriate. He lied there, wondering how he was going to defeat the conceited noble, who didn't consider him worth finishing off, if he was going to die here. And he was afraid he was dying. Either the night was getting darker or his eyesight was failing. And either the rain was getting colder or the cold was inside him. The last though he had before his mind plunged into the darkness was that the rain had stopped.

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The first sensation to register in Ichigo's mind was warmth. He was lying somewhere warm and it was comfortable. That was strange. Last thing he remembered he was lying on the cold pavement, his blood mixing with the rain. So how did he end up here? Was he dead and this was Heaven? Or Soul Society, where Rukia lived and now was held prisoner? The thought made him open his eyes with a snap. That was when he realized that there was somebody lying on top of him. Namely a really big guy. His body jerked with shock. That was when the pain hit. As he pushed Urahara's huge assistant off him, he realized that he wasn't dead. If he were, his wounds wouldn't hurt so much and he doubted the afterlife looked exactly like the Urahara Shouten.

After he calmed down from his freak-out caused by being in the same bed with a man, the shopkeeper himself appeared and explained him the situation. Then he asked him whether he wanted to gain his powers back. The answer was obvious. He needed all his strength to help Rukia. And he had to help her. Not only was she his friend, he owed it to her. And there was another reason. Despite having Zangetsu for a very short time, hiss loss felt like somebody (Kuchiki-taichou) had ripped out a part of his soul and discarded it. Even if there was no other reason, he would try to regain his powers for just that. And once he had his strength back, he and Zangetsu would charge into the Soul Society and free Rukia. He left the shop in a determined mood. The only thing he regretted was that he had to wait until he healed before he could start training.

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The three friends were standing in the street, watching Ichigo's retreating back.

"So he's going to train," Inoue said. "What are we going to do?"

"Train, what else," Tatsuki replied with a shrug.

"But..." the orange-haired girl started.

"But what?" the dark-haired one replied. "Do you want to just sit back and watch him run off on his own? I thought you wanted to save Rukia-chan."

"I do, but what can I really do? I'm not strong like him," Inoue said, her eyes downcast.

"Nonsense," Tatsuki stated. "You slew the monster I couldn't, didn't you?"

"Well, I did," Orihime admitted.

"Then you are plenty strong," the martial artist concluded.

"But I don't know how to do it again," the redhead admitted.

"That's what the training is for," Tatsuki informed her. "And we're also going to revise your karate. And yours too," she looked at Chad. The giant nodded.

"But what about the National Karate Competition?" Orihime asked. "It's just a few days away and you looked forward to it so much."

"Forget about some stupid competition, Rukia is more important," the dark-haired girl stated. "And do you really expect me to let Ichigo run off on his own? He'd get himself killed if there weren't somebody to keep him in line."

"I know, but still," Orihime said. "The nationals were your dream."

"I said forget it," Tatsuki replied. "There's always next year. Besides, if I contended now, I'm not sure I wouldn't kill somebody accidentally. I broke the kitchen sink yesterday when my powers suddenly activated. It was a pain to explain it to my parents."

"But how are we going to train?" the red-haired girl wondered. "We don't know anything about it. If we only had a teacher like Ichigo..."

"If you're looking for a teacher, I can help you." The trio turned around, looking for the source of the voice. There was nobody in the vicinity, neither alive or dead, only a black cat was grooming its coat.

"Huh?" Orihime blinked. "Who said that?"

"I did," the cat answered. "Do you want to become my students?"

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Ichigo lay at the bottom of the Shattered Shaft, bound and irritated. _Damn you, Urahara, _he thought. When he had agreed to train with the shady shopkeeper to regain his power, he hadn't expected this. Being pushed out of his body wasn't so bad. Being chased around by that creepy little girl was worse, but he could do it. But having his Chain of Fate severed, being bound and thrown into this hellish pit was worse than anything he could imagine. If the Corrasions weren't bad enough, that redhead brat had to taunt him regularly. _Just wait, you miserable little wretch, I'm going to get out of here and wring your neck, just watch it. _But first he had to get out and for that he needed to regain his power.

_Zangetsu! _He called. _Where are you, Zangetsu?_ No answer. The zanpakutou spirit wasn't just silent, it was like he wasn't even there. It was like Urahara said. His Soul Sleep had been nearly destroyed. If Byakuya's sword struck just a millimeter higher, he would have lost his power forever. It was a good think that the nobleman didn't realize that the redhead had his own powers and aimed only for Rukia's, despite having seen his shikai. As Urahara said, for all his smarts, the head of the Kuchiki clan was surprisingly dense. When Ichigo asked how did he know, the mysterious shopkeeper avoided the question. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that now there was still a chance. He just had to find it and rediscover his shinigami powers before he turned into a Hollow. So far, he had zero success.

_Zangetsu! _He called again, hoping beyond hope that maybe now the zanpakutou spirit would finally answer. But it didn't happen. He kept calling for the Old Man until the next Corrasion hit him.

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They found an abandoned building at the outskirts of Karakura. It was scheduled for demolition in a month, so it wouldn't matter how much damage they would inflict on it. Unless they brought it down on their heads, as Orihime remarked. Yoruichi just told them that they'd have to be careful. So now they were standing in an empty hall, trying to remember what it was like when they first activated their powers. The talking cat explained to them that their emotional and mental state was important for using their spiritual power.

Tatsuki looked at where Orihime and Chad were having no success in their endeavor. It wasn't as easy as it sounded. She recalled her own experience. What was she feeling at the time? Fear and anger. Fear that they were going to die and anger at the monster responsible. And the desire to protect. She wanted to save Orihime and loathed herself for being too weak to do so. And she remembered something snapping inside and a sudden rush of power. She concentrated on the feeling, trying to cal it forth again. Nothing, not a twitch. She punched a wall experimentally. Yep, still nothing. She just nearly hurt her hand. Back to the starting point.

She closed her eyes and tried to recall the straight-out-of-a-horror-movie scene. She pictured the tentacle thingy leering at her with its heart-shaped eyes. She pictured their possessed classmates and their empty stares. She tried to recall the feeling of their hands on her body, but failed. And last she pictured the tearful face of Orihime, looking at her with desperation. She thought she felt something moving inside her, opened her eyes and punched the closest wall. Nothing again. Maybe she wasn't imagining hard enough?

She closed her eyes again and tried again. Orihime's tears. Chizuru's empty gaze. The Hollow's laughter. Orihime's scared shriek. Wait, that wasn't just her imagination. Tatsuki opened her eyes just in time to see Orihime running around, six little lights flying around her, pulling her hair and attacking her face.

"Orihime!" she cried in rage. She leapt forward and swung at the closest light. It dodged and Tatsuki's hand struck the pillar. It crumbled.

"What are you doing?" Inoue shouted.

"What?" Tatsuki blinked in surprise.

"Yes, what are you doing, woman?"

Tatsuki blinked again. There was a little pixie floating in front of her eyes, looking ready to attack her any moment. His eyes staring from above a scarf hiding the lower half of his face certainly belonged to someone dangerous.

"I'm saving Orihime," she answered.

"From what?" the midget asked.

"Yes, from what?" the redhead girl echoed. "Those are just my Shun Shun Rikka."

"Your what?" Tatsuki blinked in incomprehension.

"My Shun Shun Rikka," Inoue repeated. "They are my power."

"Then why were they attacking you?" Tatsuki questioned.

"Yes, why?" Orihime turned to her animated hairpins. The pixies answered all at once. Neither of the girls could make much sense of their chatter.

"Enough dawdling," Yoruichi commanded, "Now you both activated your powers, use them."

"Yes, sensei," the two girls bowed in unison. They moved to practice some more.

Before they could do anything, there was a flash of light followed by a loud explosion. Everybody whirled around to see what was going on. Chad was standing there, purple and black armor enveloping his right arm, and he was staring at the remains of the wall he just blasted away.

"Wow," Orihime said.

"Somebody might have noticed this," Tatsuki pointed out. There was a creaking sound.

"Out!" Yoruichi yelled. "Run!" They didn't need to be told twice. Everybody darted for the door.

Tatsuki stopped a short distance away from the building and realized that she was alone. Huh? Where was everybody? She watched the door intently for any sign of them. She was debating going back inside when the threesome finally sprinted through the door. Shortly afterwards there was a loud crash as the ceiling collapsed. Dust flew through the broken windows.

"Are you alright?" Tatsuki shouted concerned.

"Yes," Orihime answered. Chad nodded.

"We cats have nine lives," Yoruichi stated.

"What took you so long?" the dark-haired girl inquired.

"We ran our fastest," Orihime answered. "You moved like when somebody pushes the fast forward on the VCR."

"What?" Arisawa didn't understand.

"Tis so," Yoruichi nodded. "It looks like a part of your powers grant you enhanced speed. That's a useful ability to have."

"So what now?" Tatsuki asked looking at the cat.

"No we're going to find a new training spot."

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Ichigo roared in pain and despair. The three days were finally up and he still didn't manage to make contact with Zangetsu or enter his inner world. He was utterly alone in the Shaft. And now the Corrasion was eating the last segment of his Chain of Fate. It hurt. It hurt like hell. He had thought he was prepared for the onslaught of pain by the previous Corrasions, but even put together they had nothing on this one. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was just about ready to give into despair. But he couldn't. Despair was what drove plus souls to become Hollows. Despair would speed up his transformation. He had to fight it. But how? He could already feel the mask forming on his face. He wanted to reach out and rip it off, but he couldn't. Tessai's spell held firm. He cursed the big man silently. If he just had his arms free, he could tear the mask off and then... no, it wouldn't be fine. Just destroying the mask wasn't enough to stop the transformation. It would simply reform. The only way to truly stop it was to find his shinigami powers like Urahara said. Unfortunately that was easier said than done.

"Zangetsu!" he cried in a last desperate attempt to summon his zanpakutou. It sounded like an inarticulate yell. He hoped beyond hope that the zanpakutou spirit would answer. But he still couldn't hear him. And the Corrasion was spreading. The mask was growing. The world was crumbling around him, the giant skyscrapers falling apart, the boxes they were made from falling to the ground. Wait, this was his Inner World. So he had finally reached it, just in time to see it crumble to dust. Just his luck.

But he couldn't give up. He had already succeeded in the first part of regaining his powers. He was in his Inner World. Now he only had to find Zangetsu. Even if it was in the nick of time, he would prevail.

He looked around, but couldn't see the old man anywhere. "Zangetsu!" he called and this time he heard an answer.

"Ichigo!" It was far and distant and he wasn't sure he didn't imagine it.

"Zangetsu!" called again. "Where are you?"

"Here!" _Well, that answers everything, _Ichigo thought sarcastically. He couldn't tell what direction was the old man's voice coming from.

"Where?" he shouted. "I can't see you!"

"Find me!" the zanpakutou urged. "You have to find me and claim your shinigami power back!"

_And just what am I trying to do? _Ichigo grimaced. But there was no time to dawdle. The skyscrapers were already reduced to half their height and were crumbling further. And all the boxes they broke into looked the same. Ichigo knew that Zangetsu was inside one of them, but he couldn't tell which one.

_Okay, concentrate, _he tried to calm himself down. _How do I find something with spiritual power?_ His reiatsu-sensing abilities hadn't been good even before he had lost his power. But there had to be something he could do. He wracked his brain for something useful. He remembered the time he and Rukia had chased after Chad and the cursed parakeet. He had materialized the spirit threads, reiraku or something, and found the two. Maybe he could do it again.

He concentrated. He wished the spiritual energy in the air to take form. It worked. He realized that at least a part of his powers had come back. Or was it his new Hollow powers manifesting? He decided not to think about it. He had to locate Zangetsu first. But it was proving to be a problem. There were countless spiritual ribbons around him and all of them looked the same. There was no way to tell which one of them belonged to Zangetsu. He touched one of them experimentally and immediately recoiled as if struck. This one definitely didn't belong to Zangetsu. It felt more like a Hollow.

Then he realized that the ribbon remained stuck to his palm. He tried to shake it off, but it didn't work. The box attached to it moved closer. The lid began to open. Ichigo was hit with a sudden sense of panic. If he pulled out whatever was in this box, he would turn into a Hollow for sure. He didn't know why he was so certain, but there was no doubt in his mind. He had to find Zangetsu pronto and cut off that thing or he would be lost. But how to recognize the correct one? The boxes still looked all the same. And then he remembered the conversation he had with Ishida. The Quincy had told him how to recognize a shinigami's reiraku. But what was it? What did Ishida say as he held the red ribbon in his hand? Wait, that was it: the ribbon was red. Usually they were white. So was there anything red around?

His eyes searched frantically for a hint of red. The box attached to his hand was open now and something was revealed inside. Ichigo thought it looked like a skull, but he didn't spare it a second glance. He had to find the red ribbon. But where was it? Just as he was about to give into despair, he noticed it. A glimpse of red amongst the sea of white. It was so far away. And the skyscrapers were already... he couldn't see them anymore. Only the white boxes falling through a black void, disappearing into nothingness. He didn't even notice when had the scenery changed.

He rushed towards the red ribbon. There was nothing to step on, but it didn't matter. When he wasn't thinking about it, he could run just fine. He dragged the open box behind him, the monster inside slowly climbing out. Ichigo didn't turn around.

Finally he reached the red ribbon. He grabbed it and pulled. A box landed in his arms. Ichigo waited for nothing and opened it. Inside was the hilt of a sword. A familiar one.

"Zangetsu!" he cried in relief as he grabbed it. Suddenly he realized that there were no boxes around anymore. Only the one containing Zangetsu and the one stuck to his hand remained.

"Hurry!" Zangetsu's voice urged him. "Pull me out! There's no time!" Ichigo could see it himself. The creature from the other box was already halfway out. It was almost like looking in a mirror, but a twisted one. It was his face, but it was bone white and the bloodthirsty sneer on it twisted it into an appearance of a monster. Ichigo knew that it was him as a Hollow. It was what he would become if he didn't succeed here.

He pulled Zangetsu out of the box. But as he was doing it, the box disappeared. He realized that he held only half of the blade in his hand. But he had a more pressing concern. His Hollow self had climbed out of the box fully and was now advancing at him with obviously malicious intent. Ichigo swung Zangetsu's broken half at him. But thanks to the sword being shorter than he was used to, he didn't reach the creature. He only cut through the ribbon connecting them. The white apparition screamed in anger and then began falling into the darkness. Before it disappeared out of sight, it shouted.

"You could cut me off, but you cannot get rid of me! I'll be back!"

Then both the Hollow and the darkness disappeared. Ichigo realized he was standing in Urahara's basement again. He had no idea how he had gotten out of the Shattered Shaft. But it didn't matter right now. What concerned him more was that he saw the world through two slits in a mask. There was a mask on his face. A Hollow's mask. Did he fail after all? No! He didn't feel like a Hollow. He was going to get rid of the mask and forget it ever existed. He slammed Zangetsu's hilt into it. It cracked. He hit it again, harder. The mask broke apart and fell off, leaving only a few shards in his hair. Ichigo looked down. He was dressed in his black shihakushou. He checked his body. No hole. He exhaled in relief.

"I did it."

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"Shun'ou, Ayame, Souten Kisshun: I reject!" The two fairies separated themselves from Orihime's hairpin and settled around Tatsuki's leg, forming a glowing golden shield between them. She had no trouble activating her technique now. The dark-haired girl sighed in relief. She had torn her muscles in an attempt to determine how fast could she run and it hurt more than anything she had experienced during her karate career. But as soon as Orihime's technique began, she could feel the pain lessening.

"That's quite a technique you have," she said.

"Really?" Inoue looked up.

"Yes," Tatsuki confirmed. "I can already feel it working. Normally this would take months to heal, but you can do it within minutes." Orihime blushed. "I just wonder, why do you always say 'I reject'?"

"It's part of the spell," the redhead answered.

"I know, but why?" Arisawa questioned.

"They said so," the redhead answered, not understanding where her friend was heading with this.

"But why did they say so?" Tatsuki prodded. "Why not say 'I heal' if that's what you're doing?"

"I don't know," Orihime answered, confused. "They said something about rejecting the damage, but I can't remember it clearly."

"Then ask."

"What?"

"Ask them again," Tatsuki advised her. "Knowing the extent of your abilities would be very useful. And you have the advantage that your powers can talk, so use it. Ask them what all can they do and how to do it." Orihime stared at her for a while. Then she broke into a grin.

"Tatsuki-chan is so clever! I wouldn't have thought of it myself! Hey! Shun Shun Rikka! What can you do?" The fairies whirled around her head.

"Hey! Don't forget to heal my leg first!"

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_Just knock the hat off my head, _that's what the shopkeeper had said. Ichigo was happy to try. In fact, he would be quite happy to knock off the head as well. After what Urahara had put him through, he was more than just angry. Furious was more like it. He had released Zangetsu into Shikai, thus repairing the blade, he had even managed to fire off one of those energy blasts he had used to defeat the Menos Grande. But no matter what he did, he couldn't even touch the shopkeeper and he had the sinking feeling that the man was only toying with him. He hadn't fought an enemy so skilled other than Kuchiki Byakuya. He wondered what did it mean. And why did a shopkeeper have a zanpakutou.

But soon he had more pressing issues to worry about than how Urahara knew what he knew. The spar had started easy enough, with Ichigo attacking and Urahara blocking. He had been so focused on his anger at the shopkeeper that he had completely missed a vital fact: Urahara was blocking his swipes completely effortlessly. Therefore it had been a shock when Hat-and-Clogs suddenly went on the offensive. Now it was Ichigo who was only defending and he had a hard time of it.

His anger at the shopkeeper soon gave way to fear when he suffered his first wound. It was just a scratch, but it was dangerously close to his neck. It slammed home the fact how easily he could die if the mysterious shopkeeper wished so. Because no matter how hard he fought, Ichigo had the sinking feeling that the man was just toying with him. That this was barely a fraction of what he could do. This feeling didn't help his confidence any. The wounds on his body kept multiplying. Soon he found himself pressed to the wall, panting, bleeding, barely able to stand.

"Is that all you have, Ichigo?" Urahara asked him. "Is that all you are capable of?" Ichigo had the sinking feeling that the answer was 'yes,' but there was no way he would accept it. There must be a way to get the better of the infuriating man. He gathered whatever strength he had left and attacked. Urahara batted his wild swing away with insulting ease.

"This isn't even worth being called an attack," the shopkeeper commented disdainfully. "Unless you can do what you did to the Menos, I'm not letting you out of here!"

"That was an accident!" Ichigo shouted. "I don't even remember how did I do it!"

"Then do remember," Urahara suggested before attacking again. Ichigo just barely dodged, still receiving a shallow gash on his hip.

"I was under pressure?"

"And you aren't now?" Urahara probably raised an eyebrow, but Ichigo couldn't be sure in the darkness of his hat. "Then I have to remedy it." He leapt at Kurosaki with a flurry of attacks the boy couldn't block. Soon he forced Ichigo to the ground, gasping for his breath and trying not to cry with pain.

"What's wrong with you?" the man shook his head. "I am really disappointed. All I can feel from your sword is fear. When you're dodging, you're afraid of getting hit." _Who wouldn't be? _Ichigo thought sarcastically. "When you're attacking, you're afraid of hitting me." _Infuriating as you are, I don't really want to hurt you. _"When protecting someone, you're afraid of them dying." _Of course. Why else I would be protecting them?_ "Your sword is filled with fear and that fear is blunting it. Right now, it isn't any better than a piece of fluff in the shape of a sword." Ichigo felt a stab of anger at the insult to Zangetsu. "That's pathetic! When you're dodging, think 'I won't let him hit me!' When protecting someone, think 'I won't let them die!' When attacking, think 'I'm going to cut you!' See? Can you see this in my sword?" The blade of Benihime came uncomfortably close to Ichigo's face. "Do you see my determination? Do you see 'I'm going to cut you in half?'"

Ichigo could see it. He could see it very well. At that moment, he understood that the shopkeeper would kill him if he failed to meet his expectations. It scared him. But then he realized that that was the worst possible reaction he could have. He could see the truth in Urahara's words. He had to find his determination. _I'm going to cut him, _he thought climbing to his feet. _I'm going to cut him, I'm going to cut him, _he repeated like a mantra. He raised his reiatsu as much as he could and charged at Urahara. The man smiled and blocked. Ichigo could see that he wasn't blocking as easily as he did before, but he could still block.

_I can do it! _Ichigo thought. _I can cut him! _He attacked furiously, but the shopkeeper dodged. He suddenly appeared behind Ichigo's back. Kurosaki's eyes widened in shock as he moved to block. And then he had to block again. Urahara's attacks were suddenly faster and more powerful. _Damn it, he's going to cut me! _Ichigo realized. Then he corrected himself. _No! I'm not letting him hit me! He isn't going to hit me! I can stop him!_

And then he fell for Urahara's feint and Benihime's tip grazed his shoulder. _Crap. _After the first hit, another soon followed and then another one. Ichigo felt his resolve crumbling. The position on his knees was now familiar.

"Is that all?" Urahara asked. "It was better, but still not enough. Your resolve wasn't enough, if you lost it so easily. That just wouldn't do. And you still haven't repeated the attack you have used on the Menos. That wouldn't do either. Ichigo, if you cannot do it, I am going to kill you." One look into the shopkeeper eyes was enough to confirm that he meant it. For a moment, It wasn't Urahara who he saw approaching him ominously. It was the giant black Hollow, its grotesque face illuminated red by the charging Cero.

_I did it before, _Ichigo thought, suddenly calm. _I can do it again. But how did I do it? How did I do it? Zangetsu, how did I do it? No, how did we do it? _At that moment he felt he wasn't alone. There was somebody standing next to him. The old man with the glasses and black cloak. Ichigo couldn't see him, but he knew he was there nevertheless.

"_Remember, Ichigo," _a familiar, barely audible voice spoke. Ichigo understood every word. _"Remember how you gave me your power and I gave you yours." _Power. Ichigo's memories of the event were still jumbled, but now Zangetsu mentioned it, he could recall that much. He smiled and pushed what little reiryoku he still had left into his blade. He could feel Zangetsu adding his own. The sword began to glow white. Urahara's eyes widened a bit as he approached them.

"_That's right. Now, lift me."_ Ichigo did so, adding yet more power. The zanpakutou shone brightly. _"Now, attack." _Zangetsu's voice sounded closer. Ichigo had no idea when did it happen.

"_Getsuga..." _the zanpakutou spirit said.

"Getsuga," Ichigo repeated loudly.

"_Tenshou!"_

"Tenshou!" Ichigo shouted, swinging the sword down. The bluish white glow separated from the blade and flew at Urahara. The shopkeeper swung Benihime, making red mist appear around the blade and rush forward to meet Ichigo's attack. They met with a blast. Ichigo was thrown off his feet. When the dust settled, he could see Urahara standing quietly, contemplating a piece of cloth. It took the redhead a while to realize that it was what remained of his hat. And now that he could see clearly, there were tears in Urahara's clothes.

"You killed my hat," the blond man spoke slowly. "If I didn't have my red shield, I would have been dead." Then he smiled. "Very well, Ichigo, you could do it after all. This part of your training is over. But because you finished earlier than expected, we have several days left for some more training. Right now, Ichigo, you are powerful, but you lack experience, something the shinigami have aplenty. So for the next few days, we are going to remedy it." Before Ichigo could say anything, Urahara attacked him again. "We are going to spend these days fighting."

Ichigo blocked. He wanted to curse. He felt too tired to be fighting now, but he mustered some strength and tried a counterattack. No matter how exhausted he felt, he had to get better if he wanted to save Rukia. He had to train until he dropped. He'd have a plenty of time to relax once Urahara would be busy building the Senkaimon.

Zangetsu's edge met Benihime's blade.

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Uryuu watched as the last arrow hit the rock. He studied the impact it made before letting his bow disappear. _A week,_ he thought. He did it. He had kept his bow activated for a whole week with the Sanrei Glove on. Now he was finally strong enough. He had reached the pinnacle of Quincy power. Now, if he met those two shinigami, he wouldn't be defeated so easily. He still burned in anger and shame whenever he remembered that. He had trained for years to reach his current level and he had been beaten like he was nothing more than a bothersome insect. His pride couldn't let it slide. He had to show the shinigami. He had to teach them about the power of the Quincy.

His thoughts flew back to the day when his grandfather had entrusted him with the Sanrei Glove. He recalled the warning his teacher gave him. Never to take off the glove unless he knew what was it he wanted to protect. So what did he want to protect? The pride of the Quincy? Definitely. But was that enough? What else mattered? He didn't know. He just knew he wanted to defeat the shinigami to regain his honor and that was what he was going to do. Now he just needed some shinigami to fight.

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Ichigo walked towards Urahara's shop. As he navigated the deserted streets, he thought about what was ahead of him. He knew that saving Rukia was the only option and he was determined to do it, but he couldn't help but feel apprehensive. The shinigami that had come for her were strong. And there were probably more such guys. Maybe even some stronger ones. He knew that determination alone wasn't going to help him against them. That was why he spent the week while Urahara prepared the Senkaimon training. He had talked with Zangetsu about his abilities and practiced them in the dark of the night. He had practiced with the energy blast: Getsuga Tenshou. He liked it. It sounded cool. He shot many of them into the night sky, hoping he wouldn't hit a plane accidentally. He didn't want to have a disaster on his conscience. He debated with his zanpakutou's spirit the possible ways to make the attack more effective. He practiced making the Getsuga more concentrated, but his progress was slow in his opinion. He could reduce the size by about a tenth while keeping the total power the same, but Zangetsu assured him that even this would make the destruction noticeably bigger. Ichigo had to take his word for it. There wasn't really anything to test it on, the two Hollows that had appeared during the week were small fries and one hit with his blade was all it took to purify them.

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of approaching footsteps. He looked up and saw Orihime rounding the corner.

"You are here too?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo questioned. "It's going to be dangerous."

"Yes," she confirmed. "I made the decision myself."

"And where she goes, I go too," Tatsuki said appearing from behind another corner.

"You too?" Kurosaki blinked.

"Don't look so surprised," the girl replied. "You need somebody to beat some sense into you." Ichigo scowled, but Tatsuki ignored it. "Let's go," she said. "We don't want to be late."

Chad was already waiting in front of the shop. And then Ishida appeared, ready to pick a fight with some shinigami. Once the party was complete, Urahara lead them inside and showed them the gate he had constructed for them. When the modified Senkaimon appeared, it was really impressive, but then Urahara explained the dangers of going through. Yoruichi asked them whether they still wanted to go. Nobody backed out. Then Urahara activated the gate and the party of six headed off.

* * *

><p>End note: So this was the introduction to the story. If it felt too rushed to somebody, I apologize, but I didn't want to write all the parts where the only difference was that Ichigo won his fights faster. That would have been boding. Next chapter: Entering the Soul Society and the story starts really picking-up pace.<p> 


	2. First Blood

**Author's note:** Happy New Year. Chapter 2 is finally here, I hope it makes your New Year happier. This chapter comes with an illlustration, check my DA account, link in my author's profile page. Now on to the story.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**The importance of the name – First blood**

Hitsugaya found it hard to stand still during the captains meeting. But he couldn't afford to fidget. He didn't need to give the other captains another reason to consider him a child by doing something as childish as fidgeting. But keeping a calm and serene appearance was extremely hard considering the type of information announced.

It wasn't the news of a ryoka invasion itself. No, that, while a bad thing, was something they could deal with. It was where did the ryoka appear – namely the First district of West Rukongai. For most of his colleagues, that was just a name. It was right next to Seireitei, but otherwise it was of no consequence to them. For Hitsugaya, that was where he used to live. And where his Granny still lived. It was all he could do not to race there at top shunpo speed to make sure she was alright. What if the ryoka did something to her? Not knowing was making him crazy, but there was nothing he could do about it. The soutaichou ordered the gates closed and even a captain wasn't allowed to pass through.

And what had happened to Jidanbou? He had been defeated, but was he still alive? If so, how badly he was hurt? And how much of it did the ryoka cause and how much was Ichimaru's handiwork? Though he didn't speak with the giant often, they were on friendly terms. Come to think of it, he didn't visit his Granny often too. While it was true he was always busy, he could have found more time for her. What if she really was dead and the last time he visited her was... uh... last year? Or the one before that? He wasn't sure. He just resolved to go and visit her the moment this mess was over.

He forced himself to listen to the proceedings. Ichimaru, with that insufferable smile of his plastered firmly on his face, just repeated that he had no idea how could the ryoka survive his attack. Hitsugaya wondered whether he actually thought somebody believed him or whether he just didn't care.

Then an alarm sounded: intruders in Seireitei. Now that was a big deal. Yamamoto hurriedly ended the meeting, postponing Ichimaru's punishment until the latest crisis was resolved. As the captains filed out, Hitsugaya lingered a bit to listen to the conversation between Ichimaru and Aizen. He had to agree with the Fifth Division Captain. The alarm sure had sounded at a convenient time. But it wasn't like it mattered that much, Yamamoto wasn't going to forget Ichimaru's misconduct. He might be old, but he wasn't senile.

And then there came Ichimaru's response. Hitsugaya was hard pressed not to gasp. Was the silver-haired captain really threatening Aizen? In public? That was a bit too much even for Ichimaru's standards. Maybe it was just his way of messing with people. Or maybe he actually meant it. With the Third Division Captain, it was nigh impossible to tell.

But whatever it was, his behavior lately had been irregular. Hitsugaya resolved to keep an eye on him.

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The giant cannonball was hurling through the air towards Seireitei. The shield protecting the city of shinigami neared with every passing second and Shiba Ganju was frantically trying to get the incantation right. Inoue looked on the verge of panic, Tatsuki looked worried, Ishida looked worried too, though with his stoic face it was hard to tell. Chad's face was hidden behind his bangs, but his stature radiated tension. Yoruichi's fur stood on its end. Everybody was frantically trying to keep the barrier around them intact, hoping that it would be enough to protect them once they'd crash into the shield. Ichigo took a deep breath, struggling to keep the flow of his reiatsu into the orb steady. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering how they ended up in this situation.

They had left Urahara's basement through the Senkaimon and made their way towards the soul Society. Than that Cleaner-thingy appeared and chased them, destroying Ishida's cape. It was a miracle that a piece of clothing was the only casualty. And it didn't really matter, because the Quincy had a spare one, which had everybody else staring at him with disbelief.

Once they arrived into the Soul Society, they realized that they were in a ghost town. Tatsuki said it aloud, but nobody laughed at the pun. Yoruichi explained that the locals were scared and in hiding. Then she explained that they were in a part of Soul Society called Rukongai and Rukia was in a city called Seireitei. And that the nearest gate to Seireitei was just over there. Ichigo headed right there immediately. In hindsight, it was stupid; he should have at least listened to what else Yoruichi had to say. So the giant guarding the gate came as a surprise. But Ichigo defeated him and Jidanbou, as the guardian introduced himself, opened the gate for them. And that was when their luck turned.

The guy standing behind the gate didn't look like much, but Yoruichi had freaked out the moment he appeared. But Ichigo barely noticed it. When the silver-haired bastard had cut off Jidanbou's arm, he attacked. But that man, who Yoruichi later explained was Captain Ichimaru, was too strong. He had sent him flying without any effort. And then the gate closed, locking them outside. Ichigo could only glare helplessly at Ichimaru's grinning face as the giant block of stone slammed down. He resolved to wipe the smirk from his face with his fist the next time they met, but even in his rage he realized that he'd have to improve a lot before he'd have a chance.

After Yoruichi scolded him for his recklessness, they approached the local elder, asking him about the residence of one Shiba Kuukaku. The locals talked to them now, because when Orihime began working on reattaching Jidanbou's arm, they decided that the group didn't mean trouble after all. Then a bunch of punks riding boars appeared and their leader, some Ganju, picked a fight with Ichigo just because he was a shinigami. Then one of the punks announced that it was nine o'clock and the group left, leaving the fight unresolved. It irked Ichigo, but no matter how he had to finish it, Rukia was more important. Ganju would have to wait.

They located Shiba Kuukaku's extravagant residence and met with the one-armed woman. She agreed to help them, but decided to send her younger brother along. He turned out to be Ganju and he and Ichigo ended up fighting again until Kuukaku interrupted them. She could be really scary when she wanted to, so they didn't dare to disobey her. And then she explained her crazy plan. Ichigo really didn't like the idea of being shot from a cannon, but Yoruichi insisted there was no other way, so he reluctantly agreed. Then came the training in making the special cannonballs work. Ichigo had the most trouble maintaining the barrier, but he somehow managed. He thanked Rukia for all her lessons in reiatsu control and Kidou; without them, he wasn't sure he would have been able to do it.

And in the morning they climbed into the cannon and Kuukaku shot it and that was how they ended up in their current situation. One glance in the direction of their flight revealed the shield of Seireitei looming much closer. They were going to crash soon and everybody knew it. Ganju was staring at the paper, babbling random words Ichigo was sure weren't the correct incantation. The cannonball swerved a bit and then sped up towards their destination. Somebody screamed. Then they crashed.

There was a flare of bright light and the cannonball shook violently. But through some miracle it remained in one piece, its occupants still holding on the central orb. They were going through the shield. Their cannonball began cracking and Ichigo pushed in more reiatsu to strengthen the protective barrier.

"Don't!" Yoruichi shouted, but it was too late. The barrier destabilized. But they were already through the shield. Then the cannonball fell apart and the group was swiped into a giant tornado.

"Hold onto each other!" Yoruichi commanded. Everybody moved to obey, but it was hard to get a hold of anyone in the whirlwind.

Ichigo was nearly thrown into Chad by the winds, so he grabbed onto the big boy's arm and held tight. He looked for someone else to hold on, but nobody was within his reach.

Tatsuki grabbed Orihime the moment the cannonball began shattering. She was frantically trying to get closer to Ichigo and Chad, but there was nothing she could use to propel herself.

Ganju grabbed Ishida's torso and refused to let go. It irked the Quincy. He wanted to get a hold of Orihime. He tried to use Hirenkyaku to get closer to her, but without anything to step onto his movement was very slow and the winds were hindering his progress. He considered using Ganju as a springboard, but the fact that the shinigami-hater was holding onto him so tightly prevented him.

Yoruichi remained alone, trying to float closer to Ichigo. Then another explosion sounded and everybody was thrown apart.

Chad and Ichigo were surging towards the ground somewhere close to the outer walls. Chad used his Brazo Derecha de Gigante and Ichigo used the Getsuga Tenshou to break apart the stones and make the crash site softer. They landed hard, but both of them were quite durable, surviving the fall with only a few bruises. It was unbelievable considering how big a crater they made.

"Santen Kesshun!" Orihime called as she and Tatsuki were nearing the ground. The triangle-shaped shield appeared under them. The two girls settled onto it and Orihime willed her fairies to keep them in the air. It worked. She hoped she could glide towards where Ichigo was, but it was too far and using her shield to keep them in the air was consuming a lot of her reiryoku and she had already used a large portion of it while keeping the cannonball active and before healing Jidanbou and she hadn't fully recovered yet. With a sigh, she realized she had to land soon. She commanded her Shun Shun Rikka to land in a deserted alley.

Ishida used his Hirenkyaku to slow down their fall. It was hard because Ganju's weight was dragging him down. A part of him wished he could just get rid of the oaf, but his pride of Quincy didn't allow him to abandon a soul in danger. And the younger Shiba actually proved useful as they neared the ground, when he used the Renkan Seppa Shen spell to turn the ground under them into sand, thus softening their landing. They survived the fall with only a couple of bruises and scratches.

Yoruichi landed alone on a rooftop. The black cat had no trouble stopping the fall and escaping unharmed.

"I'm alone?" she mused. "Maybe that's for the best."

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Almost as soon as Ichigo and Chad climbed out of the rubble, they heard a voice.

"Well, well, well, aren't we lucky today?" The two boys looked up. There stood two men. One of them was bald and had a bloodthirsty grin on his face. The other one looked effeminate, with some really weird fashion accessories, but the glint in his eyes was the same as his partners. Both had high reiatsu. Both were dangerous.

"Originally, I thought standing guard was boring so we wandered off, and here's the prize right before us," the bald man spoke.

"So you think you are lucky?" Ichigo asked. That man seemed to have an awful lot of confidence. Also quite a lot of reiatsu, as far as the redhead could tell, so maybe there was a reason he was so confident.

"Yes," the shinigami grinned. "And you are very unlucky."

"Oh? Why so?" Kurosaki inquired. The bald man ignored his question completely. Instead he performed some strange dance/exercise/random twitching of limbs accompanied by an off-key attempt at singing. Ichigo and Chad watched stumped. Then the dance stopped.

"What? You are still here?" the bald man asked. "I did my Lucky-Lucky dance to give you time to get away and you wasted the time? You sure are ungrateful."

"Why would we want to run?" Ichigo asked.

"You might have lived longer," the shinigami replied. "But because you stayed here, you will die here. Because you were unlucky to run into me, Madarame Ikkaku, Third Seat of the Eleventh Division, which is the strongest of all divisions."

"So you say you are pretty tough," Ichigo spoke. "Okay, let's test it." He unsheathed Zangetsu in one moment.

"So you want to fight?" Ikkaku grinned wider. "I like your attitude!" In the next moment he disappeared from Ichigo's field of vision. The boy had just enough time to dodge before Ikkaku's still sheathed zanpakutou slammed into the ground in the place he used to stand on, shattering the stone tiles.

At the same moment, Chad activated his Right Arm of the Giant and attacked the other shinigami.

"Trying to catch me by surprise?" the well-groomed man said as he dodged the blast. "That's not beautiful. And I, Ayasegawa Yumichika, Fifth Seat of the Eleventh Division, can't stand things that aren't beautiful. I am going to destroy you."

Chad only grunted in response and attacked again. Yumichika side-stepped his punch and swung at his side. Chad blocked and tried to punch him again, but once again Yumichika evaded nimbly. It looked like simple hand-to hand combat wasn't going to be enough. The part of the armor extending his shoulder opened and filled with white energy. Chad swung his fist in Ayasegawa's direction. The energy blast shot forward. Yumichika's eyes widened for a moment before he leapt to the side. He managed to evade the attack in the nick of time. He gaped for a moment at the hole the blast made in the wall in hit, but stopped himself quickly. Gaping wasn't beautiful.

"It looks like you pack quite a punch," he said appreciatively. "That's good. I hate fighting weaklings. It's ugly. But because you're strong, we're going to have a glorious battle before you die. Bloom, Fuji Kuujaku!" The sword in his hand changed into a sickle and his reiatsu rose. Chad braced himself. This was going to be a tough battle.

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Ichigo blocked Ikkaku's sheath and then had to dodge a wild swing from his sword. He had to admit that the Third Seat was a really dangerous opponent. Even more so because he was using a style Ichigo had never seen before. But that wasn't surprising considering that his experience with swordfighting was limited. His only real opponent was Urahara and he used a traditional style of holding his sword in his right hand. His other experience was the fight with Renji and he fought with his zanpakutou in his right hand too. Ikkaku held his sword in his left hand and used the sheath gripped in his right one. Ichigo didn't know how to fight against it. But that didn't mean he was going to give up. The Hollows he fought tended to use all their paws, so he had some experience with being attacked from several directions at once. Ikkaku was stronger than those Hollows, but that wasn't going to stop Ichigo either. He just needed some time to familiarize himself with Madarame's style, find the flaws in it and exploit them.

The Third Seat didn't want to give him the time. He pressed his attack and Ichigo had to try hard to block or dodge everything. Then he finally saw an opening and rushed in. It turned out to be a feint. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as he noticed Ikkaku's sword almost in his face. Where did it come from? He didn't understand. Despite his best attempts, he didn't manage to avoid it fully. But he escaped with only a small gash on his forehead instead of having his head cleaved in half. As he jumped away, he noticed with satisfaction that Ikkaku was now bleeding from his brow too.

They stood facing each other, a good distance apart. Ichigo wiped the blood with his left hand.

"I just can't understand," Ikkaku spoke, watching his opponent intently with his left eye. The right one was closed because blood flowed over the eyelids. "Even if there is a fair distance between us, only a rookie would remove his hand from his sword in a fight."

"I can fight okay with one hand too," Ichigo shot back. Fighting with just one eye was worse.

"The wound on your forehead isn't very deep," Ikkaku observed, seeing as blood threatened to obscure Ichigo's vision again, "so how can it bleed so much?" _Head wounds tend to do that, _Ichigo remembered one of the medical lesson that actually stuck. Then Ikkaku screwed off the end of his sword hilt and dipped his right pinkie and finger ring in it and smeared the ointment on his wound. He somehow managed to do it without letting go of his sword and his sheath. "Instead of constantly wiping it off, you should find a way to stop the bleeding."

Ichigo had to admit that Ikkaku had a point. But how was he supposed to do it? He couldn't bring a first-aid kit in his soul form, or could he? Urahara didn't mention it. "Not fair!" he cursed, not being sure what was he so angry at.

"It's called being smart and prepared!" Ikkaku corrected. "You're a weirdo," he continued after a short pause. "Your actions are that of a rookie," here Ichigo felt insulted, but couldn't really deny it. He had been in the shinigami business only for a few months. The man in front of him had years or even decades of experience."I really can't say that you are a warrior." Now the redhead felt really insulted. "But your reactions are very fast and your attacks very strong. As for your body movements, you could say it's very close to mine." _Close? I'm going to show you, _Ichigo thought. _I haven't gotten serious yet. _"Why are you serious? I'm complimenting you. But you're just a rookie who likes to fight. Saying that you're using your instincts would be praising you too much. Who is your teacher?"

"Well," Ichigo said, "I've trained with him for only ten days, so I don't know whether I should call him teacher, but he did teach me some tactics. His name is Urahara Kisuke."

"Urahara Kisuke?" Ikkaku obviously recognized the name and was impressed. Interesting. Just who was the shady shopkeeper? "I see. So he is your teacher. Than that means it would be very rude of me to kill you too easily." He slammed the hilt of his sword together with the end of his sheath. "Grow, Houzukimaru!" The sword and the sheath fused together and grew. Reiatsu surged around the bald man. Soon he held a long spear in his hands. Ichigo studied it intently. What could that thing do?

"You have no time to be surprised, Ichigo!" Ikkaku shouted merrily. "Here I come! Don't miss it!" The warning was really useful. The Eleventh Division member rushed forward with much greater speed than before. Ichigo jumped out of the way and raised his reiatsu. He could already see that he was going to need it in this fight.

"So you still have more strength? Great!" Madarame grinned. Ichigo had no idea what reason he had to be so happy, but he had no time to ponder over it. Ikkaku attacked. Ichigo found himself under an onslaught of furious strikes and stabs. He could block or evade without much trouble, but Ikkaku didn't let him attack. The initiative was fully on the side of the Third Seat. But Ichigo was getting used to his style. It was becoming easier to predict where the next strike would come from. Soon, he'll be able to counterattacked.

Just as he thought that, Ikkaku suddenly switched tactics. It happened so fast that Ichigo almost missed what happened until it was too late. Ikkaku swung his spear in a wide arc, aiming the shaft at Ichigo's right cheek. The redhead blocked with Zangetsu. Then he suddenly noticed that the sharp tip of the spear was heading for his neck from the left. With Zangetsu still occupied blocking the shaft and nowhere to dodge, Ichigo's only option was to block it with his arm. He hissed as the steel cut into his forearm. What did just happen? Ikkaku's spear was still on his right, so how...

He got his answer soon, when Madarame retracted his weapon. The spear had split in three parts held together by chains. Funny. The shaft had seemed to be made from one piece of wood earlier.

"When I said 'don't miss it' earlier, I was referring to that," Ikkaku explained. "You see, my Houzukimaru isn't a spear, it's a sansetsukon."

Ichigo used the brief reprieve to check his wound. He decided that it wasn't as bad as it seemed at first glance. The blood flow was slow, so no major vein had been cut and he could move his hand freely, so his muscles were in working order too. It hurt, but he had endured worse. He was still able to fight with minimal hindrance.

"I think you probably won't be able to use your sword with that arm anymore," Ikkaku said. _Big mistake, _Ichigo thought, but he wasn't about to correct Ikkaku. He wanted to keep it as a surprise. Meanwhile, he wrapped the wound in Zangetsu's cloth. This way the blood wouldn't flow onto his palm and mess with his grip on the sword handle. "I'm a generous person. If it was anyone else, I'd try to capture them alive. I'm sorry, but if I don't kill you, it won't count as an achievement."

"Well, I'm ready," Ichigo said and attacked. He pushed more reiatsu into his blade. Ikkaku blocked and was unpleasantly surprised when the hit left a deep dent in the wood of Houzukimaru. But he didn't let this bother him for long. He maxed his reiatsu and attacked Ichigo furiously.

The three-piece staff was a truly dangerous weapon. It could change directions at a moment's notice and Ichigo found himself hard-pressed to block even half of the blows. He was going to be black and blue tomorrow. But even as unpredictable and fast as Ikkaku's attacks were, he became able to see them after a while. So when he noticed the blunt end of the weapon heading towards his face, threatening to smash his nose in, he managed to grab it with his right hand. The blow still sent him flying, but that was a minor inconvenience. He had damaged Ikkaku's zanpakutou.

The bald men laughed, gloating about his success. Ichigo showed him the torn fringes from the end of Houzukimaru. Ikkaku had to double-take before he believed that not only had Ichigo blocked his attack with his bare hand, he managed to damage his weapon in the process. Ichigo used the time to charge more power into Zangetsu's blade, making it glow blue.

"Let's end this," he said. He then charged at Ikkaku. The Third Seat lifted his weapon to block. That wasn't enough to stop Zangetsu. Ichigo's zanpakutou cut through Houzukimaru's shaft and bit deep into Ikkaku's torso. Only because he stepped back at the last moment he avoided being cleaved in half.

"It's over," Ichigo said.

"Over?" Ikkaku laughed hysterically, staring at the broken pieces of his zanpakutou. "We're both still alive! It isn't over!"

"It's obvious you can't hold your weapon anymore," Ichigo reasoned.

"The only way to make me drop my weapon is to cut off my arms!" Ikkaku shouted. He was obviously preparing to attack again, completely disregarding the blood pooling under him. Ichigo frowned. If he hit the bald man again, he would kill him. He was an enemy and an obstacle in his quest to save Rukia, but Kurosaki didn't want him dead. The Third Seat was just doing his duty and he had never harmed Ichigo or one of his friends. So killing him felt wrong to Ichigo. All he wanted was to get him out of his way, but Ikkaku showed no intention of stepping aside. He was obviously determined to fight until he drew his last breath.

Ikkaku sprang forward. He gave his all into the attack. Despite his wounds, it was faster and stronger than anything he had shown before. But it wasn't as fast and as strong as Urahara had attacked Ichigo during their week of training. The redhead was able to block.

Houzukimaru broke. Ikkaku gaped at the stump in his hand. "Damn, you're too strong," he said, still smiling. "Che, tough luck," he added and toppled down.

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Chad swung his arm wildly, trying to catch his opponent in the side. He hit only air. Yumichika evaded nimbly and swung his four-bladed sickle. The tips bit into Chad's skin, but they didn't pierce too deep. It didn't matter. The wounds on his body he had sustained earlier were so numerous and serious that they would have downed anyone else a long time ago. It was only his extraordinarily strong physique and sheer stubbornness that were keeping him upright still. But Chad had to admit something: he was losing this fight. Badly.

He was strong, he could punch harder than his opponent, but what did it mean when he couldn't hit him? No matter what he did, he couldn't match Yumichika's speed. The effeminate shinigami was dancing around him, slashing his wicked weapon at the openings in Chad's defense. _If I could just hit him with my energy blast, it would blow him away, _the tall boy thought. But he felt that he had the strength left for only one attempt. He mustn't waste it. But how to make sure it would connect? The Fifth Seat had proven able to dodge the blasts before. He had to come up with something and he had to make it work. Ichigo counted on him and he couldn't let his friend down.

Pure strength wasn't going to get him through this fight. He needed some trick to get through this. Chad hated dirty fighting, but when it was his only chance, he was willing to give it a try. But how should he do it? He had no experience with tricks. So far, all he needed to win a fight was brute strength so that was all he was good at. But he wasn't stupid. He could learn new things. His grades proved as much. So what he had learned about his opponent so far? He was strong, fast and vain. The last was a weakness, but Chad had no idea how to exploit it. Some opening would be better, but Yumichika was too experienced to leave any obvious holes in his defense.

Ayasegawa didn't give him the time to look for them and attacked again. Chad couldn't evade the swing so he blocked. Fuji Kuujaku was stopped by the armor on Chad's right arm. The Fifth Seat didn't even pause and kicked the boy in the stomach. Chad didn't even grunt and tried to catch his ankle with his left hand. He was too slow. Yumichika backed away, looking like he was dancing.

"It looks like you can barely move," the Eleventh Division member commented. "You should give up before I cut you up into something ugly." Chad had no intention to take the advice. He noticed that his opponent didn't seem to be paying much attention to him while gloating. He took the opportunity and attacked. It turned out that the Fifth Seat only looked like he wasn't paying attention. Chad's fist was dodged easily and the four-bladed sickle cut another four gashes in his left side.

"You see?" Yumichika gloated. "You can't win even if you resort to ugly fighting methods. So just give up before it gets even uglier." Chad didn't respond. He just bit back a groan of pain and tried to gather the strength necessary for another attack. Before he could do it, the shinigami spoke again. "Not going to do it? Well," he shrugged, "it looks like I have no choice but to finish you." He lifted his weapon with a bloodthirsty grin. Chad charged his energy blast. He could feel that he wouldn't have the energy for another one, but judging from Ayasegawa's face, he wouldn't have the opportunity anyhow.

Yumichika charged. Fuji Kuujaku held high, he tried to strike Chad's neck from the boy's left side. The boy lifted his left arm in defense and swung his right arm at Yumichika's chest. The Fifth Seat twisted away and Chad's blast missed. But in the movement Ayasegawa's zanpakutou missed Chad's neck too. Somehow Yumichika's momentum carried him very close to the big boy. Both their right arms were overextended, but Chad's left arm was prepared to strike. Now Chad was inside Yumichika's guard. Nothing prevented him from punching Yumichika in the face, so he did. Only his fist encountered no resistance. The Fifth Seat managed to avoid the punch narrowly. Chad had missed again, losing what probably was his last chance at victory.

Just as he wanted to curse the fates, heavens, powers that be or whatever, Yumichika shrieked like a girl.

"My eye!"

The flamboyant peacock was holding both his hands to his right eye and his left one was shut tight. His zanpakutou lay on the ground, reverting to its sealed form after its wielder had dropped it. Chad could only stare. What was wrong with the shinigami? His last punch had missed, didn't it?

The big boy looked at his fist in incomprehension. That was when he noticed a yellow feather stuck between his knuckles. Eyelashes were attached to one end and a drop of blood detached from it and splattered on the ground. So that's what happened. He had accidentally plucked out Ayasegawa's eye decoration and the shinigami was momentarily distracted by the pain. It was a great opportunity Chad couldn't afford to miss so he took it. He punched Ayasegawa's temple with all the power he still had left. Yumichika didn't see it coming and slumped down like a sack of potatoes.

Chad leaned on the nearest wall. He felt weak and exhausted. It wasn't a sensation he was used to. He also very nearly lost, which was another thing he wasn't used to. But in the end he was the one left standing and his opponent was lying on the ground unconscious. He won and that was what counted. Now he should get out of here because more shinigami could appear anytime. He should find Ichigo. It seemed that his friend's fight was over, but he wasn't sure who won. His reiatsu senses weren't developed enough.

With that thought he straightened up and took a step in what he thought was the correct direction.

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Tatsuki sighed in relief as the pair of ridiculous-looking shinigami headed away. That had been close. The reiatsu coming off the spiky-haired man was enormous. Tatsuki had no doubts that should they fight, she would have been defeated swiftly. But fortunately his little pink-haired passenger sent him in a different direction. If she wasn't the enemy here, Tatsuki would send her a bag of candy.

"They're gone," Orihime spoke. "So where are we going to go now? I can see a tower from here." Tatsuki looked where the other girl was pointing. And nearly froze with shock. There was a shinigami standing behind the oblivious redhead. He was a giant of a man and his katana was raised high, ready to strike. Tatsuki reacted in a split-second. She raced towards her friend, using her enhanced speed to the max. She almost didn't make it. She crashed into Orihime when the man's zanpakutou was halfway down. Both girls tumbled onto the roof, the sword cutting a hole into it barely centimeters from Tatsuki's feet.

"So you dodged this, you're good," the shinigami spoke. "But you aren't going to dodge this!" His katana descended on them. Lying on the ground, limbs entangled together, there was no way for the girls to dodge. Tatsuki lifted her arm in an attempt to block.

"Santen Kesshun!" The three fairies flew from Orihime's hairpins, forming a triangular shield above them. The approaching blade was stopped. The man frowned and struck again. The shield held firm. The two girls used the reprieve to disentangle themselves and climb to their feet.

"That's an interesting technique you have there," the giant shinigami said. "I've never seen anything like it before. But it isn't going to save you. You were unlucky, because you ran into me, Ikkanzaka Jiroubou, also known as Kamaitachi Jiroubou, the best user of airborne weapons." Tatsuki couldn't see any airborne weapons anywhere, so she wondered what did it mean. The man proceeded boasting. "If you haven't run into me, you could have lived longer. But you did, so you are going to die here today. I'll give you ten seconds to contemplate your regret."

Tatsuki took it as ten seconds to contemplate their strategy. The enemy was big, strong and fast. He had snuck on them without them realizing. He claimed to use airborne weapons, but so far he had shown none. Maybe she should try a sneak attack while he was counting, but the man watched them as a hawk. She decided to try anyway. It was better to attack first.

She rushed towards Jiroubou. He noticed it and swung his zanpakutou at her. She barely dodged.

"What is this?" he shouted in outrage. "Attacking when I'm still counting? You are going to regret this!" He slashed at her again. Tatsuki evaded nimbly and tried to get closer to him, but she was met with his left fist. She punched at it, using her shattering power instinctively. Jiroubou roared as the bones in his fingers broke. Before Tatsuki could follow up, he kicked her, sending her flying across the roof.

"Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun!" Orihime joined the fight. The severing shield flew towards Jiroubou. The big man struck it with his sword, sending Tsubaki flying back.

"Tsubaki!" Orihime shouted.

"Another interesting technique," Jiroubou commented, "and an airborne one, too. But there was no killing intent behind it. You can't go into a fight with techniques lacking killing intent. Or did you mistake this for an amusement park?"

"Why did you use such a weak attack, woman?" Tsubaki asked between moans of pain. Orihime didn't answer. Even when she saw Tatsuki hurt, she couldn't find the resolve to actually harm someone.

Tatsuki was back on her feet. She noticed that Jiroubou now concentrated on Orihime and wasn't paying her much attention. It was an opportunity she couldn't pass. With a dash, she appeared at his side. Then she punched. Unfortunately Jiroubou noticed her in the last moment and dodged. Tatsuki's fist struck only air. The girl blinked. How did the big man move so fast? All she saw was a blur and then suddenly he was standing on the other end of the roof.

"You tried another cowardly attack on me?" Jiroubou asked in outrage. Tatsuki would remind him that he had tried the same on Orihime, but Jiroubou continued speaking. "You're going to really regret this. Habatakinasai, Tsunzakigarasu!" Having never seen a zanpakutou released before, Tatsuki had no idea what to expect. Therefore she was surprised when the blade split into many smaller blades, all of them floating in the air.

"This is the true form of my zanpakutou," Jiroubou explained proudly. "Nobody ever saw it and lived. You are going to die here." Then the blades were speeding towards them. Tatsuki was about to grab Orihime and dodge, when the redhead reacted.

"Santen Kesshun!" The blades bounced off the glowing shield.

"What?" Jiroubou exclaimed in surprise. Then he commanded the blades to divide in two groups, circle the shield and attack the girls from both sides. It was a dangerous attack, but it had a fatal flaw: Jiroubou left his center open.

As Orihime repositioned her shield to protect herself, Tatsuki rushed forward. She put every ounce of her strength into her speed. Jiroubou only blinked when she suddenly appeared in front of him, delivering a powerful kick to his knee. The giant man stumbled, abandoning his attack on Orihime in his shock. Tatsuki punched his thigh. Jiroubou recalled his blades, making them attack the girl. Tatsuki punched again, in the same spot. Blood surged from the leg. Jiroubou shouted. The blades almost reached Tatsuki. A golden shield appeared between them, stopping them in their tracks. Orihime didn't even call the name of her technique, she just wished to protect her friend and the Shun Shun Rikka reacted upon her will.

Tatsuki's next punch drove the shinigami to his knees. That gave the angry karate mistress access to higher parts of his body. She capitalized on it. Two consecutive punches to his solar plexus knocked the wind out of him and knocked him down. Tatsuki didn't let up in her assault. She punched him until he was a bloody mess, not moving anymore. She could tell he wasn't dead, but he won't be getting up anytime soon.

"Tatsuki-chan," Orihime whispered.

"Are you alright?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yes," the girl nodded. "But Tsubaki-kun is wounded."

"Then let's get out of here."

"But what about him?" Inoue asked, looking at Jiroubou worriedly.

"He isn't going to follow us," Tatsuki shrugged.

"But he's hurt."

"You don't really want to stay and heal him?" Orihime's expression told everything. "He's our enemy," Tatsuki reminded her. "And besides, he isn't going to die. Somebody will find him and get him to a hospital." The girl had no idea whether they had hospitals in Seireitei, but she decided to believe that they did. Otherwise she might not convince her friend to leave.

Orihime nodded reluctantly. "Let's go." The two girls ran away, trying to put as much distance as they could between themselves and whoever will come to investigate the site of the battle.

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He was staring up at blue sky. He was lying on the cold, hard pavement of the streets of Seireitei. He was still alive. That surprised Ikkaku. Last thing he could remember he had lost a battle, so why was he still alive?

"You're awake?" a familiar voice sounded from nearby. He jerked to see the ryoka sitting on a nearby wall, watching him intently. Ikkaku wondered why the invader hadn't fled yet. Then he learned that the boy took the time to dress his wounds. The Third Seat felt bitterness rising within him. He really, really hated being saved by his enemies. It made him feel weak. Zaraki-taichou always said that those who survived a lost battle were lucky, because they lived to fight again, but Ikkaku wasn't feeling lucky right now.

He answered the ryoka's questions as best as he could. He didn't care that it could be considered treason; there wasn't anyone to report it and even if there was, he wouldn't have cared either. Telling the ryoka where to go meant that other people would know where to find him. Namely Kenpachi. Ikkaku warned the orange-haired boy about his captain. Not that he wanted the kid to survive, but if he fought more seriously, Zaraki would have more fun.

Ichigo thanked Ikkaku for the information and left. He now knew where Rukia was. That was good. The Senzaikyuu was probably heavily guarded, but he was going to solve that problem once he reached. Now he only had to find Chad, who had defeated his opponent a while ago judging from the reiatsu, and they could go.

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Ishida and Ganju were running along a street. Their impact had caused a lot of racket and they wanted to get as far as possible before the shinigami would come to investigate.

"I think we're far enough," Ganju said after a while. Both youths stopped.

"I agree," Uryuu nodded. "Now we have to figure out where we go from here."

"That will be easy," the Shiba grinned. "I brought a map." He unrolled it and showed it to the Quincy.

"There are no streets," Ishida observed. "What good is a map with no streets?"

"Shut up," Ganju snapped. "I didn't see you bring any map."

"Well, this one is better than nothing," Uryuu was forced to acknowledge, "but we still have to figure out what direction to take from here."

"There," Ganju pointed a seemingly random direction.

"Are you sure?" Ishida asked making a step in the direction. Thanks to it, the blade aimed at his back only scratched his side. Ganju wasn't so lucky. The fist to the back of his head knocked him out cold.

The pain sprung the Quincy into action. He used Hirenkyaku to land at a nearby roof and turned around to see who had attacked them, activating his bow in the process. There were two of them. Both were men, one tall, broad and muscular, the other a bit shorter and lean.

"You missed him, Kayaku," the bigger man sneered.

"I won't miss the second time," Kayaku promised.

"No," the bigger man shook his head. "I'm going to take care of him. You finish that one." He pointed at the unconscious Shiba.

"Alright, Yoshitsuna." Kayaku moved towards Ganju, but was forced to dodge Uryuu's arrow.

"Attacking a defenseless man?" the Quincy scowled. "That is cowardly."

"Who cares about cowardly?" Yoshitsuna shrugged. "It's effective and that's what counts. That's the way of the Second Division. And you, ryoka, don't worry about finding the right way anymore. Your journey ends here, because you've ran into Enjouji Yoshitsuna, the Eighth Seat of the Second Division."

"You sure talk big," Ishida replied. "So far, you haven't shown the capacity to stop me."

"Your friend is already out," Yoshitsuna pointed out. "And soon you'll be too."

In the next instant, the big man disappeared from his sight. Ishida guessed what was coming next. He moved away and aimed his bow at right behind where he had stood. Precisely as he expected, Yoshitsuna appeared there. Ishida released the arrow. The shinigami noticed it at the last moment and tried to get away, but he was too slow. The arrow pierced his left shoulder.

Yoshitsuna roared in anger. "You're going to pay! Kazenihirugaeru, Umashippo!" _Wave in the wind, Horsetail_. The wakizashi in his hand glowed a green color before changing shape. The hilt remained the same, but the blade changed into hundreds of thin strings ended in tiny sharp hooks. The whole weapon now resembled the tail of a horse.

"So how do you like my true power?" Yoshitsuna sneered. "Look well and admire it, because it's the last thing you are going to see." Then he moved swiftly. It was faster than what he had shown before, but still not too fast for Ishida. The Quincy used Hirenkyaku to get into a better position and shoot the arrogant shinigami in the back. But as he aimed his bow, he noticed something else out of the corner of his eye. The sidekick, Kayaku or something, was standing above Ganju, ready to plunge his zanpakutou into the still unconscious youth's neck. Uryuu cursed silently and shot at him instead. The shinigami noticed his arrow and shunpoed away, escaping only with a slight scratch.

Ishida had to reassess his situation. While individually his opponents weren't dangerous, there were two of them and he had to protect the defenseless Ganju while fighting them. It looked like he was going to have his hands full. More so because now even Kayaku was releasing.

"Crackle, Senden!" His katana turned into a long, gold colored whip. Lightning cracked around it. He swung it in Ishida's direction. It glowed brighter and a bolt of lightning sprang from it, heading for the Quincy. Uryuu barely managed to escape. A sense of killing intent warned him that Yoshitsuna was also close. Only his Hirenkyaku saved him from being hit by the horse-tail whip. The weapon struck the ground where he used to stand and shattered it. And another lightning bolt was already heading for him.

Seeing this, Ishida realized that he'd have to fight with all his skill to win this battle. His enemies were a well-cooperating duo and tag-teamed him perfectly. He shot as many arrows as he could in Yoshitsuna's direction, making dodging hard for him. The big shinigami positioned his zanpakutou in front of him, so that the horse-tail now acted as a shield. Ishida's arrows cut many of its strands, but they failed to pierce through. Then he was forced to dodge another lightning strike.

He decided to take out Kayaku first. Though he was the less powerful, he was the one with the long-range attack and therefore more dangerous. He shot a volley of arrows at him, but the thin shinigami was fast. The glowing arrows managed to only scratch him before Ishida was forced to abandon his attack and dodge Yoshitsuna's whip. He shot at the big guy, but only managed to cut another couple of strands. Yoshitsuna pressed his attack. Ishida tried to dodge, but his heel caught on a roof tile and he stumbled. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kayaku was standing above Ganju again, but in his off-balance state, he could do nothing about it. It was all he could do to avoid Yoshitsuna's attack.

But as Kayaku stood above the prone Shiba with his whip poised to strike, he suddenly noticed his feet were sinking into the ground.

"What?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"You thought you could get me while I was out?" Ganju asked getting up. "Well think again." He took a firework from his pocket and threw it at the trapped shinigami. The explosion knocked him out.

Both Yoshitsuna and Uryuu were taken off-guard by the sudden flash.

"Kayaku!" the big shinigami called. Ishida used his inattention to shoot him with two arrows. Yoshitsuna collapsed like a doll with cut strings.

"Did you kill that bastard?" Ganju asked.

"No," the Quincy replied. "I cut his Hakusui and Saketsu. He won't be able to be a shinigami ever again." The young Shiba grinned.

"That sounds just fine with me."

"Now let's get out of here. This fight drew unwanted attention."

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Ichigo and Chad were running. It took them quite a while to find each other again, but they managed, mostly thanks to luck. They had thought they had been in the clear after defeating the comedy duo of Ikkaku and Yumichika, but they soon found out that it was not so. Many, many more other shinigami appeared and chased them around. Most of them were grunts the two boys could defeat easily, no matter how numerous they were, but neither of them could sense reiatsu well enough to tell whether there was an experienced fighter hiding among them. If they had to fight another Ikkaku and his twenty little helpers all at once, they would have been in serious trouble. And besides, their objective wasn't to beat as many rank and file shinigami as they could. They came here to save Rukia and any minute spent fighting was a minute spent not looking for her. So they ran, hoping that they would shake their pursuers eventually.

Their luck ran out. As they rounded a corner in an alley, they suddenly found themselves faced with another group of battle-ready shinigami. The pair stopped on the spot.

"Not good," Ichigo muttered, reaching for Zangetsu. They would probably be able to fight their way out, but there was an awful load of hostiles around.

But before the fight could start, there was a commotion in the ranks of the shinigami and a small figure was pushed to the forefront. It turned out to be a shinigami, one small and young looking, with a bag on his back and curiously no zanpakutou.

"Sorry," the shinigami boy said as he pushed himself off the ground. "Do you know where the fighting is? I had to tie my sandal and got left behind and now I don't know where the rest of my unit is..." he drifted off as he took in Chad's clothes and the way everybody was looking at the duo in front of him. Understanding dawned on his face. "You are the ryoka, aren't you?"

Chad and Ichigo looked at each other. They usually wouldn't resort to such tactics, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Ichigo grabbed the scared little shinigami and pressed Zangetsu to his neck.

"Out of the way or I'll kill him," he shouted in his best threatening voice. It probably wasn't threatening enough, because the men around them began laughing. Shouts of "Come on, kill him!" were heard.

"What's wrong with you?" Ichigo repeated. "If you don't make way now, I will kill your friend!"

"Does he look like our friend?" some bloke shouted.

"Uh," the captive spoke, "they're from the Eleventh and I'm from the Fourth." Then followed an explanation why it did them no good to pick him as their hostage.

"This place is seriously screwed," Ichigo muttered. Chad just blew a hole through a nearby wall and the pair began running again. Eventually, they shook off their pursuers and those they didn't shake off, they beat. Soon the two of them were alone again.

"That was it," Ichigo said sheathing Zangetsu. "How are we going to find Rukia?"

"Excuse me?" Both Ichigo's and Chad's heads snapped in the direction of the voice. Their former captive was standing there, bowing deeply. "My name is Yamada Hanatarou, Fourth division, Seventh Seat."

"Why are you telling us?" Ichigo scowled (harder than usual). He had no idea why and how was the youth still with them, but he had no desire to keep him around. "We're your enemies, remember? Now get lost."

"You spoke about Kuchiki Rukia, didn't you?" the healer asked.

"What about it?"

And Hanatarou proceeded to tell them as he had met Rukia during her imprisonment and made friends with her. (Or rather fell head over heels in love with her, as was apparent from his starry eyes.)

"I can help you get to the Senzaikyuu," the Seventh Seat concluded his story.

"You can get us inside?" Kurosaki asked with interest.

"No," Hanatarou shook his head sadly, "the tower is too well guarded for that. But I can get you close to it and you won't run into anyone on the way."

"That sounds good," Ichigo nodded. "Lead the way."

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"That was easy," Tatsuki said as they dragged the prone bodies of two shinigami into an empty building.

"They didn't even see us coming," Orihime added. Jumping at the pair of oblivious shinigami from behind a corner was her idea and even she was surprised at how well it worked. As they dressed in the black uniforms, another thought occurred to her.

"So which division should we be a part of?"

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"All clear," Hanatarou announced as he peeked from the manhole. They had spent a day walking through the sewers, Hanatarou navigating confidently. He also healed Chad's wounds, something Ichigo was grateful for. His friend tended to brush off whatever damage he took. Now they finally reached their destination.

"Good," Ichigo smiled. He disliked being cooped up in the dark, dank tunnels. He was all too glad to be finally able to climb back into the sun. Soon the trio stood on a small, deserted plaza, looking up at a white tower shining against the clear sky.

"So this is it?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, and this is as far as you go," a new voice sounded. It was accompanied by a sense of heavy reiatsu. The trio looked towards its source. It was coming from the direction of the staircase leading towards the Senzaikyuu. A figure clad in black stood there. Ichigo recognized him. It was one of the guys that came to take Rukia. What was his name? Renji? Yes, something like that.

"You aren't going to stop me, Abarai," Ichigo growled.

"You remember my name? Good memory," Renji complimented him.

"Thanks for the compliment. And now step aside, because I'm coming for Rukia."

"As I said before, I'm going to kill the one who stole Rukia's powers. As long as you're alive, her power cannot be restored. I don't know how you survived Kuchiki-taichou's attack, but you aren't going to survive mine." He drew Zabimaru and sprang forward in one fluid motion. Ichigo swiftly blocked his attack with Zangetsu.

"Didn't you drag her here because you wanted to kill her?" he spat. "What's the point of saying that now?"

"Enough speaking," Renji snapped, making Ichigo suspect that he didn't have a good answer to his question. "I'm going to kill you now."

Chad activated his Brazo Derecha de Gigante.

"No, Chad," Ichigo shook his head. "I'm going to defeat him alone. Please, don't interfere." Chad didn't like it, but grunted in agreement. If Ichigo felt that this was personal, he wasn't going to get in his way. He'd just wait and act if it looked like Ichigo was about to lose.

The battle began. At first, Ichigo was doing well, but then he began noticing something: Abarai was fighting much better than he did when they first clashed. And though Ichigo still had the upper hand, he wasn't winning as easily as he should have. He wondered what did it mean. He decided that it didn't matter, as long as he was winning. And then finally he pushed Renji to the wall. But the lieutenant didn't look disturbed. It nagged Ichigo.

"Let me ask you something," Abarai said. "How do you plan on saving Rukia? Even if you defeat me, there are eleven more lieutenants and thirteen captains. You can't beat them all."

"You bet I can," Ichigo snapped back. "It doesn't matter how many enemies are there, I'm just going to beat everybody who stands in my way!"

Renji snorted. "Where does your confidence come from? You got a bit stronger since I last fought you, but it isn't going to be enough!" In that moment, Abarai's spiritual power exploded outwards. He pushed at his sword so hard he sent Ichigo flying. _Crap! _The boy thought.

"Howl! Zabimaru!" _Double crap! _ Ichigo was still midair and therefore unable to dodge. He watched as Renji's sword changed shape and extended towards him. He lifted Zangetsu to block, but Zabimaru changed directions unexpectedly, flying around Ichigo and than hitting him from the back just as he landed. Kurosaki screamed. It felt like he was being sawed in half. On second thought, he really was being sawed in half. He collapsed to the ground.

"Seems like you thought you understood my abilities after just one fight with me," Renji sneered. "Let me tell you something: When captains and vice-captains go to the Living World, they're equipped with a power limiter, so they wouldn't cause accidental damages to the mortal souls. I'm now five times stronger than I was back then. You stood no chance."

"So this is your real strength?" Ichigo asked picking himself from the ground. "Then you aren't going to get any stronger, are you?" He plastered a smirk on his face, trying to conceal how bad he was really feeling. Though the wound caused by Renji's attack wasn't as serious as he had initially thought, it still hurt like hell and hampered his movements severely. "If there are eleven more guys like you, I should have no problem."

"You can still stand?" Renji asked. "Well, then I guess that I just have to do something about it." And he attacked. This time Ichigo managed to block Zabimaru's extending blade, but just barely. The wound on his back was really a bother. But he refused to show it and attacked valiantly.

They traded blows for a while longer. Ichigo felt himself weakening from the blood loss, but he also found a pattern in Renji's attacks. Three times. Only three times could the lieutenant attack before his sword retracted to its original state and he had to wait a couple of seconds before attacking again. He watched as Abarai attacked again. Zabimaru surged forward, intent on smashing into him. _One. _Ichigo dodged sideways. Zabimaru's blade changed directions and tried to saw him in half. Ichigo blocked. _Two._ Zabimaru changed directions again, trying to wrap around Ichigo. The boy jumped high, evading the blade. _Three._

Zabimaru began retracting just as Ichigo landed. Kurosaki waited for nothing and started after Renji. He saw the lieutenant's eyes widen for a moment. But then Renji began moving too. Ichigo tried to go faster, but realized that he couldn't. _Crap, _he thought, _stupid wound. _He saw that he wasn't going to make it. Renji dodged his blow and prepared a counterattack. Ichigo attempted to block it, but he was wildly off-balance and the hit forced him to the ground. And then the spikes of Zabimaru cut into his body again. He screamed.

"Attacking when my blade contracted was a good idea," Renji praised him, "But it wasn't enough. And do you know why? Because you are slow. See, there's just no way you can defeat me."

Ichigo cursed. This second wound made it even harder for him to move. But he just couldn't accept defeat, he just couldn't. He gathered whatever power he still had left and rose to his feet. Renji looked at him in surprise. This wasn't a wreck of a man using his last strength to make some pointless statement. No, Ichigo was radiating power now, even as his blood pooled under him.

Ichigo felt that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. He could feel his strength leaving him every second. He had to end this quickly.

"Sorry, Renji, I just cannot afford to lose here," he said mostly to himself. He had to reassure himself that he was doing only what he had to. Because even as he pumped more reiatsu into his zanpakutou, he couldn't help but feel doubt. Because if he unleashed his full power at Renji, there was a good chance that it would kill him. And Ichigo was reluctant to kill. That was one thing Urahara hadn't taught him: to kill. He had never slain anything that wasn't a Hollow and even then he wasn't really killing, just purifying them. The idea of killing a human or a shinigami scared him. That was why he held back during his fights, despite knowing that it would cost him. But now he couldn't afford to hesitate anymore. Rukia was waiting. He had to give his all to get to her and that meant getting through Renji. He just had to hope the tattooed lieutenant would survive.

Zangetsu's blade was now glowing with bright white light. Renji watched it in surprise. Just what was that? He didn't know, but his decades of experience told him that it was dangerous. He held Zabimaru tighter, preparing to block or dodge.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo swung his sword down, releasing the blast. It was too fast for Renji to dodge. He gave his all into blocking, but it just wasn't enough. He could hear Zabimaru's tortured howl in his mind as the blade broke. The white light slammed into him, cutting and burning. He thought he might have screamed, but the pain overwhelmed him completely.

Then it was suddenly over. He was kneeling on the ground, the hilt of his broken zanpakutou in his hands. _I lost? _Even with the hard, solid evidence presented in front of him, it was a bit hard to believe. It had happened so suddenly. He had been winning and then the ryoka pulled out some super-strong ability and completely wiped him. There was no chance he could kill him now to restore Rukia's powers. His sword was shattered and his body barely holding together. The goal of saving Rukia was suddenly unreachable, just like his dream of surpassing Captain Kuchiki or like the girl herself. He remembered how he had met her and then lost her. No, he hadn't lost her. He had let her go, something he had regretted ever since, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that it was for Rukia's benefit. He had lost her and now it looked like he was going to lose her once again. But he couldn't just accept it calmly. He had to do something.

Ichigo watched as Renji made a shaking step towards him. So he wasn't dead. That was a relief. Despite the other redhead being an enemy, Ichigo wasn't sure he could live with the knowledge that he had killed him. Then Renji grasped the front of his shirt. "Please, you have to save Rukia," he gasped. Then he collapsed. Ichigo blinked in surprise. He sure hadn't expected that. Then he collapsed too, his battered body no longer able to take the damage.

"Ichigo!" Chad called racing to him. The boy just lay on the ground unresponsive.

"Somebody is coming," Hanatarou announced. "Four or five people. And some of them powerful. We have to get out of here." Chad looked indecisive for a moment. He wagered that he could defeat whoever was coming, but that would endanger the unconscious Ichigo. He decided to go along with Hanatarou's plan and retreat into the sewers. And see how good a healer the small Fourth Division member was.

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Hinamori watched in disbelief as Captain Kuchiki walked away. How was it even possible to be so cold-hearted? How could he order the imprisonment of his own lieutenant when said lieutenant was in dire need of medical treatment? Did he want him to die? For what? Losing the fight? Supposed disobedience? Kuchiki-taichou could only guess at what had occurred; he shouldn't be so quick to judge. Such behavior was simply abhorrent and she would be considering it as such even if the lieutenant in question wasn't her dear friend Abarai-kun. No captain should behave like this. And if he did, he was a shame to the Gotei 13. How was it even possible that a person so cruel could run a whole division? Captain Aizen cared about all his subordinates, not like this noble... she couldn't find a word bad enough. If Kira didn't hold her back, she would have attacked Kuchiki-taichou's retreating back.

She was glad when Captain Ichimaru appeared and promised to contact the Fourth. He at least had some heart. No matter what people said about him, she believed he was a good person inside. Aizen-taichou wouldn't have taken him as his lieutenant otherwise. And then Hitsugaya-kun appeared and told her to be wary about the Third Division. She didn't understand it. Why should she be wary of Kira-kun? Or Ichimaru-taichou? He might be creepy, but he cared about his subordinates. Hitsugaya's warning made no sense to her. But Shiro-chan was weird like that.

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In the Fourth Division's General Relief Station, Ikkaku was recuperating from his injuries. It was an eventful convalescence, to say the least. First the creepy Captain Kurotsuchi appeared accompanied with the only little less creepy Lieutenant Kurotsuchi and tried to torture him for information about the ryoka. The Third Seat told him nothing. Then Kenpachi arrived, threw out Kurotsuchi-taichou (through a wall), and asked what the bald man knew about the one who had defeated him. Madarame gladly told him everything. Kenpachi left, smiling in anticipation of a good fight.

And now Yumichika came to visit him. The Fifth Seat was sporting a gauze patch over his right eye and his body language suggested he had lost his latest fight.

"What happened to you?" Ikkaku inquired. So Yumichika told him. The bald man just shook his head in disbelief when he finished.

"You and your feathers. You're never going to give up, are you?"

"Of course not," Ayasegawa stated. "They make me even more beautiful."

"Unless they almost make you ugly," Madarame retorted. "The first set you put on caught on fire and your hair caught fire from it and you had third degree burns on your head."

"Don't even remind me of that time," Yumichika shuddered. "Thankfully Unohana healed me and I have no scars. I started using fireproof feathers since then."

"Then your next set tended to fall out during battles so you started using stronger glue," the bald man continued.

"Of course," the incorrigible narcissist said. "If one of the feathers falls out, I look stupid. I look beautiful only if all of them are in place."

"And now you almost lost your eyelid because of it," Ikkaku reminded him.

"Unohana healed me," Yumichika countered. "There will be no scaring."

"You'll never change," the Third Seat shook his head.

"Of course not," his friend smiled. "But you don't want me to change, do you?"

"No."

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That evening, special wartime order was issued in Seireitei. The next morning, the city was awoken by an ear-piercing shriek.

* * *

><p>So that's it for chapter two.<p>

For those who catched some familiar names, yes, Yoshitsuna and Kayaku are the pair of jerks from On the Frozen Plain. They finally got what they deserved, so don't feel sorry for them. I used them because I needed some cannon-fodder and none of the canon characters would work right in that scene.

Also the incident with Yumichika's feathers catching fire is described in Bleached Thoughts, chapter 133.

I hope you liked it and even if you didn't, let me know.


	3. Insanity

**Author's note: **Third chapter here. I hope it's up to your expectations. Just as the previous two, it has an illustration too. You can find it on my DA profile, link on my author's profile page.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**The Importance of the Name – Insanity**

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Ichigo woke up in the morning. Well, he couldn't be sure it was morning, because no daylight reached the sewers, but he felt rested, so he decided to call it morning. He stretched and sat up. His wounds weren't bothering him at all. He looked at where Hanatarou was sleeping cuddled to Chad's leg and smiled fondly. That little guy sure was useful and he knew his way around healing.

He sat up. He could still feel pain in his wounds, but it wasn't as bad as it was yesterday. In fact, he felt almost good.

"Morning," Chad muttered, revealing that he was awake too. As he moved, he woke Hanatarou. The small shinigami rubbed his eyes wearily.

"Morning," Hanatarou said. "You shouldn't be moving around yet," he added when he spotted Ichigo.

"I feel fine now," the redhead replied. "Thanks. I thought I won't be able to move for a week."

"I thought you wouldn't be able to get up at all when I saw how Abarai-fukutaichou hit you," Hanatarou commented, "but it seems this stopped his blade." He picked up an object from the ground. It was white and it took Ichigo a while to recognize it. It was a mask. It resembled a Hollow mask and it was cracked. He was sure he had never seen it before. So what was it doing in his clothes? And how comes he hadn't noticed it? He reached his hand to touch the mysterious object.

A strange sensation ran through him the moment his fingers made contact. His first impulse was to jerk away, but the sensation wasn't entirely uncomfortable. In fact, it was almost pleasant. Like... like what? He wasn't sure but it reminded him of something. He tried to remember what, but the memory eluded him.

"It looks like a Hollow's mask, but why would you carry a Hollow's mask with you?" Hanatarou interrupted his thoughts, echoing them unknowingly. Ichigo had no answer for him. He continued staring at the mask. He was sure he had never seen it before, yet it seemed somehow familiar. And the feeling it was giving him was both pleasant and uneasy. What did it mean? And why did it feel so important?

He shook himself. There was no time to ponder over it. They had to save Rukia. Who knew what was happening to her while he was idling in the sewers.

"Let's go," he said.

"What are you going to do with that thing?" Hanatarou asked. Ichigo paused. What was he going to do with the mask? Well, he didn't have to decide it now.

"I'll keep it for a while," he said.

"Really?" the young healer asked in a fearful tone. "I think you shouldn't."

"Why?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"It's scary and ugly and creepy," Hanatarou answered.

The mask itself didn't look scary to Ichigo. And he wouldn't call it ugly either. It looked kind of elegant. But creepy, that was one thing Hanatarou got right. It was both creepy and alluring. The creepiest was the fact that Ichigo had absolutely no idea where did it come from. Maybe Hanatarou was onto something when he insisted he'd get rid of it.

"Okay," he said, tossing the mask into the water. It disappeared below the surface, but the creepy feeling it gave him stayed. Ichigo shook his head. He was probably being overdramatic. The dark, dank atmosphere in the sewers must be getting to him. He'd forget all about it once he'd be out in the daylight.

"Let's go," he said resolutely and marched towards the nearest manhole. Hanatarou and Chad followed silently.

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The sight in front of her was unbelievable. Aizen-taichou was dead. Murdered. Somebody had stabbed him and pinned him high to the Great Holy Wall. He looked like a butterfly pinned in a display case. It was disgraceful. Who could have done something so cruel to somebody as kind as Captain Aizen? It made no sense. And how could he be dead when she had talked to him just yesterday? He had been so kind to her, so warm, and now he was cold, unresponsive, hanging on the wall.

She heard someone screaming. Only when her throat became raw she realized that it was her. There were people around her now. She hadn't noticed them coming. They were talking, but she didn't register what they were saying. She had tear-filled eyes only for the corpse of Aizen-taichou still hanging on the wall.

Then one of the voices broke through her shock. It was cruel and mocking. How could someone be so cruel and mocking in the face of such tragedy? No decent person could possibly do that. Unless they weren't a decent person. Unless they were cruel enough to...

She turned around. She found herself staring into the grinning face of Captain Ichimaru. How could somebody grin now? Wasn't he moved a bit by his fellow captain's death? He used to be Aizen-taichou's lieutenant, just like her. How could he not be devastated by the loss? Didn't he love the Fifth Division captain just like she did? But all she could see was the infuriating mocking grin. It was cruel. So cruel. Cruel just like... The warning Shiro-chan had said yesterday flickered through her mind. She didn't remember that she had ignored it yesterday and why. All she could think about was...

"You killed Aizen-taichou!" With a roar, she drew her zanpakutou and sprung forward, intent on separating the grinning head from its owner's shoulders. But her blade was stopped by an obstacle. It wasn't Ichimaru. He just stood there, grinning. It was Kira who moved to defend his captain.

"Move aside!" she demanded. She didn't want to fight Kira-kun, but if he insisted on protecting the murderer... He did. He protected the monster who had killed Aizen-taichou. That made him a monster too. And the monsters who took away her beloved captain had to die.

"Snap, Tobiume!" She was going to wipe them from the face of the earth. She attacked with all she had, but it wasn't enough. Kira blocked. She attacked again, but then suddenly her sword was pushed to the ground by a greater force. There was a person standing between her and Kira now.

"Shiro-chan," she said. Her friend was here. He would help her kill Aizen's murdered. He was strong enough to. But Hitsugaya showed no intention to remove his foot from her sword. He was staring at her with cold eyes. What was going on?

"Arrest them. Both," Hitsugaya spoke. Hinamori fell like she was struck by lightning. Shiro-chan was ordering her arrested? But why? He should be arresting Ichimaru. He's the one who murdered Aizen-taichou. She was only trying to bring him to justice. She didn't do anything wrong. So why did Shiro-chan turn against her? How could he betray her so? She was devastated. All the fight left her. She barely felt it when the other lieutenants grabbed her. As they dragged her away, there was only one thing running through her mind: Aizen-taichou was dead. And Shiro-chan had betrayed her.

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Looking out of the manhole, they saw that the coast was clear. They climbed out and raced up the stairs leading towards the Senzaikyuu. Halfway up there, they were hit by a wave of enormous reiatsu. Hanatarou collapsed to his knees. Ichigo and Chad stumbled. The killing intent was unbelievable. Even the Menos Grande hadn't been so bad. Ichigo felt like there was a sword placed to his neck. But there was no sword when he turned around. What was going on?

He looked around, trying to find the source of the oppressive reiatsu. But he couldn't see anyone. They were alone in the street. So where was it coming from? Only when he looked upwards, he noticed the figure standing on a roof. It seemed so tiny in the distance yet it somehow occupied his whole field of vision. Ichigo felt like a sword stabbed him through the chest when he locked his eyes with the stranger. He had to look down to make sure that there was no wound.

"Are you Kurosaki Ichigo?" an unfriendly voice asked just behind him. He whirled around. He realized that the source of the enormous reiatsu was suddenly standing around him. He hadn't even noticed when did he move. How long did the captain stand behind him, having a perfectly clean shot at his back? The thought made him even more scared than he already was. And the sight of the man didn't help any. Everything about him screamed 'warrior' and 'bloodthirsty.'

"How do you know my name?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice steady. It was a lost cause. "Who are you?" Out of the corner he noticed Chad. The big boy was carrying the prone form of Hanatarou on his back. The healer couldn't stand the enormous reiatsu. Chad looked like he wanted to help Ichigo, but even he had trouble standing under the piercing killing intent.

"Oh? Didn't Ikkaku tell you about me?" Ichigo remembered the conversation with the bald shinigami. So this was him. How did Ikkaku say it? Zaraki Kenpachi, the captain of the 11th Division. Supposedly the strongest swordsman in the entire Gotei 13. Seeing him now, Ichigo had no trouble believing it.

"I am the captain of the Eleventh Division, Zaraki Kenpachi," the man confirmed Ichigo's guess. "I've come here to kill you." The smirk on his scarred face showed that he was going to enjoy it. _This__is__not__good,_Ichigo thought. _What__are__we__going__to__do?__Hanatarou__'__s__out__and__Chad__isn__'__t__much__better.__Even__I__can__barely__stand.__We__stand__no__chance__here.__And__what__would__happen__to__Rukia__if__we__die__here?_

"Chad! Hanatarou! Go on! I'll deal with him!"

"Oh!" a cheerful, childish voice suddenly exclaimed. It was so out of place that at first Ichigo thought that his ears were playing tricks on him. But then a small foot landed on his shoulder and its owner proceeded to jump on Chad's head. There she stopped. Ichigo had to double-take to make sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. But the sight remained. It really was a tiny girl with pink hair, shinigami uniform and lieutenant's badge standing there, looking down on Hanatarou with an expression of childish curiosity on her face. Just what was that?

"Ken-chan really scared him, poor thing," the girl said. Ichigo decided that he wasn't hallucinating and that the child was indeed there. There was just no way his mind could have come up with something so weird. It also was enough to snap him from his stupor. He drew Zangetsu and rushed towards his friends. Who knew what the strange girl could do to them? She certainly wasn't a normal child. But before he could reach them, the girl made a huge leap and landed right beside Zaraki.

"He got angry," she said in confusion.

"Idiot. It's your fault," Kenpachi said. It sounded almost fond.

"Chad, take Hanatarou and get to the tower. Rescue Rukia. I'll hold them off." Chad looked hesitant. "Hanatarou can't stand this reiatsu," Ichigo added. "Get him out of here." The big boy nodded. He didn't like leaving Ichigo alone, but he could tell that the healer had trouble breathing. If he stayed here any longer, the spiritual pressure alone could kill him. He'd have to trust Ichigo to be able to handle it. Because it wasn't like he could do anything against this guy.

"Good luck," he said to Ichigo before carrying the unconscious boy away. He was afraid that the strange pair would pursue them, but they didn't even move from their spots.

"That's a surprise," Ichigo commented, mostly to give himself the time to regain his composure. He was still scared, but at least he now gathered enough courage not to run away. "Why aren't you pursuing them? Isn't your objective to stop us?"

"For the last time," Kenpachi said impatiently, "I am here to fight you. I don't give a damn about your friends or Kuchiki, they can all die somewhere else for what I care."

"That's very good, you punk," Ichigo replied, trying to sound confident and failing miserably. He got into a battle stance, hoping that the feel of Zangetsu's hilt in his hands would improve his confidence. It wasn't really working, but he still hoped.

"Not bad," Kenpachi chuckled. "Your stance looks good. There are lots of openings, but your reiatsu is high. No wonder Ikkaku lost. Our vice-captains are no match for you. But you're still a lot weaker than me." Ichigo didn't doubt that it was true. "How about this? I'll give you a chance. Cut me anywhere and don't hold back."

Ichigo watched in disbelief as Zaraki pulled open his shirt and offered him his bare chest to cut. Why would he do it? What kind of trick was it? What would happen if he took the offer? What would happen if he didn't? And could he really strike an unarmed opponent?

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "Do you think I'd attack someone unarmed? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, I don't think you're stupid. It's a handicap charity. It's nice of you not to want to attack an unarmed person, but you should spare your sympathy for someone else." As the scary captain spoke, Ichigo realized that he really wasn't somebody who needed sympathy. "Don't be so stuck up. Enjoy it."

Ichigo was too scared to enjoy anything, but he decided that he should take Zaraki's offer. He had the sinking feeling that it might be his only chance at landing a hit.

"Killing and being killed, they are just ways to pass time!" Kenpachi grinned. Now Ichigo was sure he had run into a complete whacko. He cursed his luck for encountering him. But still, better him than somebody else. None of his friends stood a prayer of chance against this monster. He didn't think he stood much of a chance either, but he had to try it.

"Come!" Kenpachi prompted. "Neck, stomach, eye, anywhere! It'll be even better if you kill me in one blow! What are you afraid of? Come on!"

Ichigo gathered whatever courage he could find and attacked. He swung Zangetsu and hit the captain square in the chest. It was like hitting a rock. Zangetsu didn't even put a scratch on the still grinning man. But Ichigo's own hands got bloody from the recoil. Ichigo stared in incomprehension. Just what was going on?

"That's it?" Kenpachi asked in disappointment. "How disappointing. You seem surprised. Is it so hard to believe? The fact that your sword cannot even scratch me? Now it's my turn." He drew his zanpakutou, a rusty, chipped katana that looked like it would fall apart at any moment. Yet it somehow managed to look deadly at the same time. "Please, don't die too quickly."

Then Kenpachi pushed Zangetsu back with his bare hand. Kurosaki could only stare. How did the man do it? He was a monster. How could he have ever thought that he stood a chance here? He was going to be killed.

"It's useless, Ichi," a girly voice spoke next to his knee. He glanced down to see Zaraki's lieutenant. "Ichi's sword won't do anything to Ken-chan because a sword like this is the same as a bladeless sword to Ken-chan," she explained, her face a picture of childish seriousness. How did she do it? Ichigo wondered. How comes she wasn't affected by the murderous reiatsu?

"Let me tell you why your sword can't even scratch me," the captain said. "It's pretty simple, actually. When two spiritual beings collide, the one whose reiatsu is lower gets hurt. That's all there is to it. The reiatsu on your sword is purposefully concentrated to kill. The reiatsu I release subconsciously is that much higher." Ichigo pondered the implications. It didn't look good for him. His opponent was so much stronger than him that he had trouble comprehending it. There was absolutely nothing he could do. He was going to get killed. He'd have to hope that it would buy enough time to his friends and they would free Rukia.

"I can't believe I camped whole night for this," Kenpachi scoffed. "It's so sad it isn't even funny. At the very least, please dent this sword just a little bit. Please, trespasser." Then he attacked. Ichigo barely dodged, but Kenpachi was upon him in an instant. This time he tried to block, but the power behind the strike made him fly. And the crazed captain was advancing on him again. Ichigo ran. Kenpachi pursued.

"Running again?" the one-eyed captain called. Usually, such comment would be enough to raise Ichigo's ire. This time it did nothing. He was too scared to get angry. Cold sweat was dripping down his brow, his hands were shaking and his heart was beating so fast he feared it might break through his ribcage. _Damn__it,_he thought, _I__have__to__calm__down.__Fear__blunts__the__sword,__that__'__s__what__Urahara__said._Right now, he thought, his zanpakutou must be so blunt it would have trouble cutting through butter. He'd need it much sharper if he wanted to put a scratch on Kenpachi. But it seemed his courage had deserted him completely. He couldn't find even a single scratch of it to stand his ground and face Zaraki. All he could do was to run. Yet no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't outrun the suffocating reiatsu and the feeling of a blade pressed to his neck. And Kenpachi was never far behind.

Ichigo stopped in an empty street, desperately trying to calm down. It looked like he had lost Kenpachi for the moment, though the man was still somewhere close. If he could just calm down, everything would be easier. It was all that reiatsu. It was scaring him witless. If he could just ignore it and concentrate...

He heard a rumbling sound. He jumped up and whirled around. The wall he had been leaning on cracked and then crumbled as Kenpachi burst through. Ichigo's first instinct was to run, but then he realized that he had walked straight into a dead end. And Zaraki was blocking the only way out. There was nowhere to run anymore. He could only fight. Desperation lent him enough strength to lift Zangetsu again. With a cry he launched himself at Kenpachi. The Eleventh's captain grinned. He swung his jagged zanpakutou to meet Zangetsu. The two weapons met with a crash. Then Zangetsu broke. Ichigo could only blink in surprise as he continued his flight towards Zaraki. His momentum carried him right onto his sword.

Ichigo gasped in pain as the blade pierced his chest. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He couldn't even breathe.

"That's it?" Zaraki asked in disappointment. "How dull. You couldn't even put a scratch on me. I guess you were really just trash after all." He let Ichigo's body slide from his katana and began walking away.

Ichigo lay on the ground in a quickly growing pool of his own blood. _This__can__'__t__be__happening,_he thought. _I__cannot__die__here!__I__still__have__to__save__Rukia!_He urged his body to move, but it refused. The possibility that he was going to die became suddenly too real. He hadn't thought about it before he had run into Kenpachi, but in hindsight it was really stupid. How could he have ever thought that he could just charge into Soul Society, grab Rukia and run? He had seen what her sorry excuse for a brother was capable of. But he had somehow thought that as long as he didn't run into Byakuya, everything would be alright. Now he was paying the price for his naivety. But how could he have known just how dangerous the Soul Society was? It wasn't like there was somebody to ask. Wait, Yoruichi knew it here. He must have known the strength of the enemy. And Urahara probably did too. Yet they said nothing. What were they thinking? That they wouldn't go if they knew what they were getting into? And why did they let them go if they knew the danger? Did they want to kill them? Ichigo didn't know. He could only hope that there would be no more casualties other than him. Because if his friends died, he'd find a way to come back and haunt Urahara for the rest of his days. Come to think of it, he should do it anyway.

But, damn it, he couldn't just lie and die here! The wound wasn't so serious! Or maybe it was, he was no doctor, despite having grown up in a clinic, but he wasn't going to let it stop him. He didn't know why, but he could gather some will to fight now. Maybe it was because Zaraki's reiatsu lessened now he wasn't fighting anymore.

As he stared impotently at Zaraki's retreating back, he suddenly saw another figure beside him. For a moment it seemed like time froze. Then the man in the black coat began walking to him. Kenpachi remained frozen mid-step. The man with wind-swept clothes and hair stopped two steps away from Ichigo and glared at him with too familiar eyes.

"Do you want to fight? Or do you want to live?" Zangetsu asked. Ichigo blinked. He wasn't sure he wasn't dreaming up the whole situation. Maybe it was some hallucination induced by the blood loss. "To fight, or to live? Choose," Zangetsu repeated.

What did he want? Fight and die? Live and give up on rescuing Rukia? Both were wrong choices. Dying in vain or living with failure, both were meaningless. There was only one option acceptable to Ichigo.

"I want to win."

"I can't hear you." Zangetsu's voice was cold.

"I want to win!" Ichigo shouted as loud as he could. "Everything else is pointless."

"Very well," the zanpakutou spirit nodded. Then he dropped to his knees. "I'll take you there." His cloak billowed around him as he reached for the prone boy. It obscured his vision, making everything as dark as night. When he could see again, he realized he was in the familiar sideways world. Zangetsu tossed him a plain katana.

"What is this?" Ichigo asked.

"Asauchi," the old man replied. "It's the class of nameless zanpakutou all the low-level shinigami wield."

"I meant... this isn't my sword. Mine is Zangetsu."

"Zangetsu. As it the one your enemy just broke?" The full, unbroken giant blade appeared in Zangetsu's hand. "I can't give this to you."

"What? Why?"

"Why?" Zangetsu echoed. "What would you need it for? You don't use it anyway."

"What?" Ichigo blinked in disbelief. "That's not true!" Didn't he use his zanpakutou enough? Didn't he slay Hollows and even a Menos with it? Didn't he fight shinigami with it? Didn't he train with it and learn its signature attack?

"Isn't it?" Zangetsu asked, his face hard. "Then why do you lay defeated now? Why is your blade broken? Why didn't you use me?"

_Why,__indeed?_The answer was obvious: he had been too scared. Kenpachi's enormous reiatsu had completely stunned him. He had completely forgotten all the things he could do. What would have happened if he had attacked Zaraki with a Getsuga Tenshou at the very beginning? What would be different if he had the presence of mind to raise his own reiatsu? But he didn't. All he could do was shake in fright and run. He got exactly what he deserved for it.

"You have insulted me, Ichigo," Zangetsu spoke. "I offered you my strength, I taught you my attacks and what did you do? You discarded the gift. You forgot everything I gave you just because you became a little scared. And thanks to you I lay broken." Ichigo hung his head in shame. He couldn't dispute Zangetsu's words. But he couldn't just accept defeat either.

"Can I make it up to you?"

Zangetsu didn't answer. Instead he made a strange gesture and something burst from the ground. It took a while to Ichigo to realize what it was. It was a figure in white. The style of the clothes looked like those of the shinigami, but the colors were inverted. It had also white hair and its skin was pasty. More Ichigo couldn't tell, because it stood with its back to him. Then Zangetsu threw his sword to the white figure.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo shouted in outrage. Zangetsu said nothing. The figure in white attacked furiously. It was strong and it wielded Zangetsu's blade with stunning skill. It wasn't as strong as Kenpachi and its reiatsu wasn't as scary, but it was pushing Ichigo back. The boy was hard-pressed to block all its attacks with his asauchi. He jumped back to gain some distance.

"What are you?" he asked. Somehow, he had the feeling that his opponent wasn't human. And what was he doing in Ichigo's inner world anyway? The figure looked up and Ichigo got the first chance to see its face clearly. The sight stunned him. It was almost like looking into a mirror, but a twisted one. It wasn't just the paleness of the newcomer. His eyes were putrid yellow with black sclera and his face was twisted in a bloodthirsty grimace.

"What a mean thing to say, partner," it spoke mockingly. Ichigo wanted to ask why did that thing call him partner, but then he realized that he had seen it before. It had been in the Shattered Shaft, while he had struggled to regain his reiryoku. It had climbed out of the box he had picked mistakenly instead of the one containing Zangetsu. The face of the monster climbing out of it had shaken him deeply. He could still remember its parting words: "You could cut me off, but you cannot get rid of me! I'll be back!" So now it was. Ichigo's eyes narrowed. He hadn't managed to slay it the first time, but now he got the chance, he would remedy the mistake. He gripped his asauchi tighter and attacked. The monster just laughed and parried his slash like it was nothing. It then swung Zangetsu and Ichigo had to hastily dodge a Getsuga Tensho. He cursed inwardly. This didn't look good.

"Now it begins," Zangetsu spoke, standing impassively nearby. "The test to see whether you are worthy to wield me. You have to take me back with your own hands. Your opponent is yourself." _Yourself?_Just what did it mean? That twisted monster wasn't him, was it? Before Ichigo could figure it out, the white figure attacked.

"Take it back if you can," it shouted showering the redhead with a flurry of attacks. Ichigo parried as best as he could.

_Dammit,__it__shouldn__'__t__be__so__hard__to__push__him__back,_he thought. _If__he__'__s__somehow__really__me,__then__he__isn__'__t__any__stronger.__I__should__be__able__to__fight__on__par__on__him.__Then__why__I__am__being__pressed__back?_As soon as he asked the question, he realized the all too obvious answer. The difference was Zangetsu. The giant blade packed more punch than the small asauchi and it could launch Getsuga Tenshou too, a fact the Hollow Ichigo was exploiting to the max. And that wasn't all. He also seemed more skilled in fighting. He could do moves Ichigo had never tried or even thought of, like when he spun Zangetsu by the cloth and then threw it at Ichigo. The redhead had barely dodged.

He was slowly coming to the realization that the odds were stacked too high against him to overcome them. But he wasn't going to give up! He just wasn't! He had to get Zangetsu back! He had no idea how, but any other result was unacceptable. But Zangetsu's power was against him and it seemed impossible to overcome.

He glanced at the spirit. The old man still stood on his flagpole, observing the fight with keen eyes. Not a muscle moved in his face. What was he thinking? Ichigo would like to know.

The moment of inattention almost cost him. The white figure used it to fire another Getsuga Tenshou and this time Ichigo didn't manage to avoid it fully. His right sleeve was nearly obliterated and the skin on his right arm burned. The injury wasn't serious, but the pain was hindering him. The Hollow laughed and attacked with renewed fury. And Zangetsu still stood there impassively, his face unreadable. Was he still angry? Did Ichigo insult him so much?

"I'm sorry!" Ichigo called. "I'm sorry I didn't think to use you! I'm sorry I let that guy scare me so much! It won't happen again! If you just give me a chance..."

The Hollow Ichigo attacked again, the blade in his hand blazing white with a Getsuga Tenshou. It jumped right at Ichigo, intent to cleave him in half. The redhead had no time to evade, he could only lift his asauchi to block. Yet he knew that against an attack of this strength it wouldn't do him any good.

"Zangetsu..." he whispered. The two weapons clashed. Ichigo closed his eyes, expecting the pain to hit. But nothing happened. The two swords met with a clash and the Hollow's charge was stopped. Ichigo opened his eyes again. He was staring straight into the Hollow's face, who was looking with dismay at the asauchi in his hands. Zangetsu was now in Ichigo's grip. When did it happen? And how? And why? He looked at the old man questioningly. The zanpakutou spirit just nodded. Ichigo grinned. Good. If Zangetsu would give him another chance, he could get rid of the pesky Hollow finally. Now it wouldn't be able to stop him. But before he could do anything, the world around him darkened, once again obscured by Zangetsu's waving cloak.

When Ichigo could see again, he realized he was lying on the street in Seireitei, staring at Kenpachi's retreating back. Oh, he had almost forgotten about this battle in the excitement. But it looked like no time had passed here, even the drops of blood falling off Zaraki's sword seemed to be at the same spots he had seen them before. Then time began moving again. The droplets fell to the ground and Kenpachi made a step forward. Ichigo pushed himself up. His wound didn't hurt as bad as before. He wondered about it briefly, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. Namely defeating the captain. He raised his reiatsu and gripped Zangetsu tightly. The blade hummed in response. Kenpachi stopped in his track and turned around. When he saw Ichigo on his feet, he raised an eyebrow.

"So you are alive? And ready to fight? Well, maybe this won't be a complete waste of time."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Ichigo replied. "Now we're ready to fight for real." Without further preamble, he charged at the captain. Kenpachi blocked, but the force behind Ichigo's attack nearly wringed his zanpakutou from his grip.

"Yes, that's more like it," he grinned. He quickly retaliated with an attack of his own. Ichigo blocked and tried a counterattack. They exchanged blows for a minute until Ichigo managed to scratch Kenpachi on the shoulder. Blood flowed from the wound. Kenpachi's grin widened. "So you can cut me. That's even better!" They engaged in swordfight again. Slowly, Ichigo was gaining the upper hand. Yet Kenpachi was laughing, looking happier and happier. It was unnerving Ichigo. Why would he smile when he was losing? It made no sense. It made the redhead think that he was walking into some kind of trap. He kept scanning his surroundings for any sign of danger. That made keeping track of Kenpachi's sword harder. Soon, Ichigo felt it biting into his side painfully. He jumped back to regain his composure. He couldn't afford to be hurt again. He had to end this fight quickly. He began charging his power into Zangetsu. This situation needed a Getsuga Tenshou to resolve.

"Sorry, but I don't have time to waste here," he said. "I'm going to finish this in one strike!"

"Waste time?" Kenpachi looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "What are you talking about? The fun is just beginning!"

"Fun?" Ichigo questioned. "I'm not here for fun. I have a mission and cannot dawdle. So I'm going to introduce you to Zangetsu properly now."

"So you're one of the sissies who rely on their zanpakutou?" Zaraki scoffed derogatorily. "That isn't how a real man should fight. I fight only with my own strength. My zanpakutou has no name."

"_Do__you__hear__it?__" _A familiar voice asked next to him. Ichigo glanced sideways to see Zangetsu there. _"__Do__you__hear__his__zanpakutou__wailing__in__pain?__" _Now that the old man spoke about it, there was a faint crying sound. Ichigo had no idea where it was coming from and it was so faint he hadn't paid it any attention, but now that Zangetsu pointed it out, he couldn't forget about it again. It was truly heart-wrenching.

"That's your loss," Ichigo replied. "And my gain. Because with only your own strength, you cannot withstand this. Getsuga Tenshou!" He swung Zangetsu down. The blue-white crescent separated from the blade and slammed right into Kenpachi, sending him crashing through a wall. Ichigo breathed in relief. So this was over. It wasn't too soon. He was already getting tired.

But as soon as he thought that, there was a rumble and from the hole his last attack had made in the wall walked out Kenpachi. His clothes were nearly obliterated, he was bloodied but he was grinning from ear to ear. Ichigo could just stare.

"This is great!" Zaraki laughed. "How long it's been? An equal match up! Or you're even a little stronger. It's been so long since I last had this noble feeling... You're a worthy opponent." Then he reached up and removed his eyepatch. A column of yellow reiatsu shot from him. It was so strong and sudden that it nearly sent Ichigo to his knees. Kenpachi then fixed Ichigo with a gaze of two perfectly healthy eyes. "So I'll go all out on you! Now the fun can really begin."

"What's with that eye?" Ichigo asked.

"The eye? Nothing," Kenpachi shrugged. "It's just a normal eye. It's this." He showed Ichigo the eyepatch so he now could see its inner side. It was full of eyes and toothy mouths. The teenager couldn't suppress a shudder. It looked really gross. Just what was that thing? And how could somebody voluntarily slap it over his eye? Wasn't he afraid he'd lose it? Though it was hard to imagine the Eleventh Division captain afraid of anything. "This is the work of the freaks in the Twelfth. It's an infinite energy sucking monster. With the energy that would otherwise be sucked by this thing..." He swung his zanpakutou around. The closest buildings were cut and crumbled down, despite Kenpachi's sword not even touching them. Ichigo gulped. This was going to be an even tougher battle than he had imagined. "I'm going to use all of it to kill you."

For a moment, Ichigo felt fear. It threatened to bite into his heart and send him trembling to his knees just as it had happened at the beginning of the battle. But then he remembered about Zangetsu's presence at his back. He wasn't alone in this. Kenpachi was. The wailing of his blade was still resonating in his ears. Kenpachi was a fool for not listening to that voice. And now it was going to be his undoing.

His confidence restored, Ichigo raised his reiatsu. He began slowly charging it into his blade. He would have to make the Getsuga Tenshou really strong and concentrated to overpower this opponent.

"So you can raise your reiatsu even now? Interesting," Kenpachi spoke, grabbing his katana in both hands.

"Of course I can," Ichigo answered. "I am never alone in battle, unlike you. Let's end this."

Zaraki's reiatsu rose. It seemed to form the image of a skull around him. Ichigo maxed his reiatsu too. The Getsuga Tenshou was charged now. Zaraki sprang into attack. Ichigo mirrored his actions. Ichigo let the Getsuga fly moments before their blades met. The white crescent crashed into the enormous yellow reiatsu just as the two blades met and slid along each other. Ichigo could feel Zangetsu hit something just as he felt Kenpachi's blade enter his own body. There was a huge flash of light followed by an explosion of power. The two combatants were flung apart.

Ichigo landed with a crash, hitting a wall. His head rang as he hit it on the hard stone. When the stars in front of his eyes dissipated, he realized he was sitting on the ground, his wounds bleeding freely once again. Kenpachi was standing on the other end of the street, bloody, but still standing. Ichigo tried to climb to his feet, but his body refused to obey him.

"I lost?" he whispered in disbelief.

"What are you talking about? You won," Kenpachi said before toppling over. Ichigo just stared. Then a small figure landed next to him. Zaraki's lieutenant! How could he have forgotten about her? The girl didn't look like she could hurt a fly, but that didn't mean she wasn't dangerous. And he doubted that he had the strength to fight her off. But she made no movement to attack him. She just walked over to him and bowed deeply.

"Thank you." Ichigo blinked in confusion. What was this about? "It's thanks to Ichi that Ken-chan had lots of fun!" Huh? Wasn't she bothered that he had hurt Kenpachi? "Ken-chan hasn't been so happy for a looong time! Thank you! Ichi, Don't die, okay? So you can play with Ken-chan in the future, okay?" _"__She__calls__this__play?__" _was the only thing he could think about as the girl ran over to the fallen Kenpachi, put him on her back (funny sight, considering he was several times bigger than her), and carried him off as if he weighted nothing. He would have wondered about it, but he finally fainted from the loss of blood. Thanks to it he didn't see the black cat walking to him.

3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3

The fighting below had stopped some time ago. Neither Chad nor Hanatarou wanted to think about what it meant. Did Ichigo win against the bloodthirsty captain, no matter how unlikely it sounded? Or did he lose? Chad didn't want to even think about the possibility. Ichigo couldn't lose. He just couldn't. He was alright and he should join them soon. And even if he weren't, he had entrusted them with saving Rukia. And that was what they had to do, no matter what happened to Ichigo.

They finally reached the tower. And they even managed it without being spotted, which was a miracle considering the only access was over a narrow bridge which offered no places to hide. The guards must have been asleep while they were crossing it. The guards remained inattentive even when they attacked them. One of them fainted after Hanatarou's tranquilizer and the other after Chad's punch. That had been just too easy. Couldn't they have somebody competent guarding the high-security prison? All the fighters they have encountered up to now were better than this.

The other shock came when Hanatarou revealed he had a key. Seriously, just what was Seireitei's idea of security? Leaving spare keys from restricted locations in spare rooms when anyone could pick them? Did they want all their prisoners to escape or what? It was just too suspicious. It looked like a trap to Chad. A part of him wanted to back out while they still could. But they had to rescue Rukia, that is, if she really was on the other side of the door.

The door opened, revealing that Rukia indeed was inside. But that did little to calm Chad's unease. This could still be a trap.

"Chad? Hanatarou? What are you doing here?" Rukia asked, surprised that somebody actually showed up.

"We came to rescue you!" Hanatarou announced cheerfully. Ever since Renji had told her about the ryoka invasion, she had expected someone to show up. But she also dreaded it. They didn't know what they were up against. Ichigo was strong, but considering how he lost to Nii-sama, he'd stand no chance against the might of Gotei 13. He'd just get killed. And she didn't want anybody to get killed on her behalf. She didn't deserve it. And speaking of which, where was Ichigo? She had to ask.

"He got a bit delayed," Hanatarou explained. "He'd join us soon." His face showed that he didn't believe it. Rukia's heart clenched. Did something happen to Ichigo? Did it have something to do with the battle she had felt going on? She had hurt Ichigo enough. If he got killed on her behalf, she couldn't live with herself. She didn't have to live with herself for long, a part of her mind reminded her.

"We have to go," Chad said. His bad feeling about this place was intensifying gradually. The sooner they'd get out of here the better. Hanatarou grabbed Rukia's hand and dragged her out of her cell. She didn't resist.

As they reached the door of the tower, they were hit by a wave of oppressive reiatsu. Rukia and Hanatarou fell to their knees, shaking. Even Chad had trouble standing upright.

"Nii-sama," Rukia whispered upon seeing the figure in white coat slowly walking over the bridge. So that was Kuchiki Byakuya, Chad thought. And this place was a trap after all. But they mustn't panic. They had to find a way to get out of this. They had to prevent the shinigami captain from reaching them. Fortunately that was easy to accomplish.

"Brazo Derecha de Gigante!" The black and purple armor appeared on his right arm. He sent a blast of energy into the bridge. The thin structure first broke and then collapsed when it lost one of its pillars of support.

"He can't get to us now," he stated.

"But how are we going to get away?" Hanatarou asked. Chad paused. That was something that hadn't occurred to him. In his rush to bar Byakuya's access he had destroyed their only escape route. But it wasn't like they could use it while the Sixth Division Captain was blocking it.

"You don't have to worry about getting out of here," a new voice sounded behind them. They looked around in terror. There, looking perfectly serene, stood Kuchiki Byakuya. _How__did__he__get__there?_was the thought running through everybody's head.

"Nii-sama," Rukia whispered in terror. Byakuya didn't even glance at her.

"You are all going to die here," he announced. Chad punched him. Or tried to. His fist hit only thin air. Before he could blink in surprise, he felt sharp pain in his chest. Captain Kuchiki had somehow appeared behind him and stabbed him in the back. But he had never encountered Yasutora Sado. A wound like this wasn't enough to bring him down. As soon as Byakuya sheathed his sword, he whirled around, his right arm already blazing with energy. But once again, he was too slow. The captain disappeared before he could hit him and another wound appeared in his back. This one was more serious than the first one. Even somebody as durable as Chad couldn't just shrug it off. He collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood.

But he couldn't just accept defeat. He had a duty. To Rukia. To Ichigo. He couldn't afford to fail. He had to save her. He gathered what little strength he still had. He twisted his body. Sending an energy blast to where Byakuya was. But thanks to his injuries, he was even slower than before and stood no chance of actually hitting the captain.

"You still have some fight left in you?" the nobleman sneered. "Then I have to beat it out of you. Chire, Senbonzakura." Chad watched in amazement as Byakuya's blade glittered and disappeared. Rukia watched it with horror.

"Run!" she screamed, but it was too late. Byakuya already swung the hilt. Thousands of tiny cuts appeared on his body. Chad faltered, suddenly dizzy from the pain and blood loss, but he refused to give in to his weakness. He still had to save Rukia. He pushed himself up, preparing for another attack.

"You're still conscious?" Byakuya sneered, lifting his arm for another attack, intent on killing Chad with the next blow. Rukia could only stare. Somebody was going to die and it was all her fault. Why couldn't they just forget about her? Why did they have to charge after her and throw away their lives? She didn't deserve it.

But before the scattered blade could fall, Byakuya's wrist was caught in an iron grip.

3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3

Pain was the first sensation that registered in Ichigo's mind. He opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, staring at a ceiling that he didn't recognize. It looked like the insides of some large cave. Where was he? How did he get here? The last thing he could remember was his battle with that monster of a captain.

"Awake already?" a voice asked next to him.

"Yoruichi-san!" he exclaimed, trying to sit up. The cat landed on his chest, pushing him down.

"Don't get up," the feline admonished him, "you'll reopen your wounds. It's a miracle you're still alive after being cut up like that." Ichigo recalled the last clash with Kenpachi. He could remember clearly the jagged blade entering his body. It went so deep. It was truly a wonder that he survived something like that, and counting all the wounds he had sustained before, it was even more so.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

"You don't have to thank me," the cat said dismissively. "It was only thanks to your stubbornness that you clung to life. But your things got smashed. If it wasn't for this, you would have been much worse off. You're lucky it slowed down Zaraki's blade." One black paw pointed at an object lying on the ground. Even when half of it was shattered, it was clearly recognizable for what it was: a mask. It looked like a Hollow's mask. It looked like the same mask that had mysteriously saved him during his fight with Renji. Though, now that he looked at it, didn't this one have more stripes? Or was his memory playing tricks on him? And what did it matter, this couldn't be the same mask he had tossed away in the sewers. It was too clean for that. And more importantly: where did the thing come from? And what about the previous one?

He picked the mask up, studying it intently. There came the same feeling as the last time. The thing felt both alluring and repulsive, right and wrong. What could it mean? Before he could figure it up, Yoruichi's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm surprised that you would carry something like this with you."

"Huh?" Ichigo in his distraction barely caught what his companion was saying. "Why do you think it's mine?"

"You mean it isn't?" Yoruichi looked surprised. It was obvious to Ichigo, despite not being used to read the emotions of cats. "It was inside your clothes. You mean you don't carry it with you?"

"No," Kurosaki shook his head. "It saved me yesterday. I don't know where did it come from. I wanted to keep it, but Hanatarou didn't like it, so I threw it away in the sewers. And now it's back again. Oh, Hanatarou is from the Fourth. He healed me yesterday."

Yoruichi wasn't listening. Two golden eyes were watching the mask intently, looking both thoughtful and troubled. "I'll take it for safekeeping," the talking animal decided.

"What?" Ichigo startled. "I want to keep it. As a good luck charm. It saved me twice, so..."

"Give. It. To. Me." For a moment, Yoruichi looked just as scary as Kenpachi. Something told Ichigo that the cat was just as dangerous too. He handed over the mask hurriedly, feeling a pang at having to part with it. His heart was beating fast. He tried to sit up, hoping that he'd regain his composure better when he wasn't lying down helplessly, but a sharp pain in his wound made him lay down again.

"Don't reopen your wounds," Yoruichi chastised him. "After the effort I took dragging you here and bandaging you up..."

Ichigo imagined the cat doing that. He failed. He had no idea how the tiny animal could accomplish any of that.

"Yoruichi-san must be very strong," he said.

"Oh, that was nothing," the cat shrugged. "I just used my real form to drag you here."

"Your real form. I see," Ichigo said. Then the meaning of the words registered in his brain. "Your real form?"

"Yes," Yoruichi answered. "Come to think of it, I never showed you, did I? Well, then watch." Yoruichi's body was enveloped by a gold glow that grew rapidly. Then it faded and there stood a beautiful woman with golden eyes, dark skin and purple hair. _Yoruichi-san__is__a__girl?_was the first thing Ichigo could think of. Then...

"Put on some clothes!" he screamed, covering his eyes with his hand.

"I'll never get tired of this," Yoruichi laughed. "You should have seen your face."

"Put on some clothes," Ichigo repeated. The woman sighed, but obeyed.

"It's been so long since I wore clothes," she grumbled. "Now then, I carried you here using this." She showed him some strange devise that resembled a bat's wing. "You just put in reiatsu and you can fly." That sounded like every child's dream came true. Ichigo had never heard of anything similar before.

"Yoruichi-san, just who you are?" he asked. "You can shapeshift, you can fly and..." he didn't finish the sentence. He was distracted by the sudden sense of oppressive reiatsu slamming into him. Yoruichi felt it too and looked around in alarm. At first, the redhead thought they were being attacked, but then he realized that though the reiatsu was strong, its source was far away from them. Then he remembered that he had encountered this reiatsu before. Unless he was terribly mistaken, it belonged to Rukia's sorry excuse for a brother.

"It's coming from the Senzaikyuu," Yoruichi said.

_Senzaikyuu?_Ichigo's eyes widened in terror. That was where Rukia, Chad and Hanatarou were. Without thinking, he grabbed the flying device and sent his power into it.

"Stop it!" Yoruichi shouted, but the boy paid her no attention. The device lifted him off the ground. He raced to save his friends. He could only hope that he wouldn't be too late.

3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3_3

"Captain Ukitake!" Rukia exclaimed when she recognized the newcomer.

"Oi, Kuchiki," the white-haired captain grinned. "You lost weight, how are you doing?"

"Ukitake," Byakuya spoke, clearly angry, no matter how much he tried to hide it. "What's the meaning for this?"

"That's my line," Ukitake replied. "Releasing your zanpakutou in here is a first class offense, even if you are fighting the ryoka. What are you thinking?"

"It's a wartime situation. The ban on releasing zanpakutou has been lifted."

"Wartime situation?" Ukitake was taken aback. "Because of a ryoka invasion? How could it have gone so far? Is it related to the murder of ..."

Before he could finish, they felt a sudden wave of strong reiatsu. Everybody looked around in surprise.

"What's this reiatsu?" Ukitake asked. "It's clearly at captain's level, but I don't recognize the person."

"Can it be?" Rukia whispered with a mixture of hope and dread. Then a blur shot past them and it the next instant Ichigo landed close to them. The sight filled her with hope she didn't dare to feel. But then reality checked in again. They were up against her brother. They stood no chance.

"Why did you have to come?" she yelled. "I told you not to follow me! I forbade you to come!"

"What do you make the face for? I came to save you! You should be happy!" Ichigo chastised her.

"You're wounded all over!" Rukia pointed out. "Run while you still can!"

"Get mad all you want later," Ichigo snapped. "I'm not leaving without you. And Chad," he added when he noticed his friends bloody body on the ground. He felt red hot rage rising in him. Whoever did this was going to pay. He turned towards the two captains who had been observing their arguments silently. "We're all going home. After I defeat him!"

Kuchiki Byakuya didn't seem too impressed with his challenge. "Defeat me?" he scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. This is the end of this meaningless skirmish." The dismissive manner in which he spoke made Ichigo even angrier. But before he could retort, Byakuya disappeared from his sight. It was just like that night in Karakura. But this time Ichigo knew what was coming. He moved just in time to place Zangetsu in Senbonzakura's path.

"I became stronger since we fought last," he grinned. "I can see your every move, Kuchiki Byakuya."

"I see," Byakuya frowned. "You improved more than I thought. In that case, before you get too full of yourself, I will demonstrate you the difference in our power."

"No, Ichigo, run!" Rukia screamed in panic.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo wasn't in the mood of standing around and waiting to see what Byakuya's zanpakutou did and shot his signature attack at him. The captain's eyes widened in surprise as he barely avoided the blast of shining white energy. Only the hem of his haori got singed.

"Difference in power, you said?" Ichigo grinned. "Let's see what the difference in our power truly is." Byakuya made a face like he had just stepped into something nasty. He swung the hilt of his sword, sending the scattered blades at Ichigo. The redhead blew them away with another Getsuga Tenshou. Then he noticed that the captain was suddenly behind him. He whirled around, trying to block the attack, but there was too many of the deadly sakura petals to block completely. Then Byakuya's hand was suddenly enveloped in a white cloth, preventing him from attacking and forcing his zanpakutou back into its sealed form. Everybody blinked, trying to make sense of what just happened. It became apparent soon. One end of the cloth was firmly in the hand of a dark-skinned woman with long purple hair.

"Shihouin Yoruichi," Byakuya growled. "I haven't seen your face in a while." He seemed to have completely forgotten about Ichigo and concentrated on the newcomer instead. "It's been a hundred years since you disappeared. Everybody thought you have died."

"Died? Me?" she smirked. "Who do you think you are talking to, Byakuya-bo?" Captain Kuchiki reddened upon hearing the hated nickname.

"Did you come to save me, Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked. "Thank you, you didn't have to. I have it under control. Please, move aside."

"Have it under control?" Yoruichi scoffed. "You were about to get annihilated."

"I've been doing fine," Kurosaki insisted. In the next moment, Yoruichi hit him. Ichigo doubled over in pain and fainted. Yoruichi threw him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"It's a drug, isn't it?" Ukitake observed. "Either Gaten or Houten. Releasing a tranquilizer directly into his blood stream, you're trying to save him, aren't you?"

"Do you think I will allow it?" Kuchiki-taichou asked dangerously.

"Do you think you can stop me, Byakuya-bo?" Yoruichi laughed. "Did you ever once win against me in tag?"

"Should we try again?" Byakuya suggested before disappearing in shunpo. The two of them chased each other around for a while. Kuchiki-taichou tried his best, but no matter what he did, the infuriating woman was still a step ahead of him. It was maddening. He had spent a century training his shunpo until he dropped and then training some more, but he still couldn't come close to her. It was just like back when he had been a boy, chasing after the woman in his grandfather's manor.

Finally Yoruichi got tired of the game. She jumped to the top of Senzaikyuu and shouted: "Three days! In just three days, I will make him stronger than you! The fight between you two is postponed until then. If you want to follow, you might, but Shunshin Yoruichi isn't caught so easily!" Then she disappeared.

"They got away," Ukitake stated the obvious. Kuchiki-taichou just turned around, in an attempt to conceal the expression of rage and frustration on his face and preserve at least a shred of his dignity. "Where are you going?" Ukitake shouted.

"There's nothing of interest here anymore," Byakuya replied before shunpoing over the gap. Ukitake sighed. The young noble would never change. No matter how he tried to hide it, he was still ruled by his short temper.

He was snapped out of his musings by the sound of a body hitting the ground. He turned around to see Rukia collapsed. Hanatarou bend over her, not looking much better.

"Rukia-san!" the healer shouted. Ukitake just sighed. It looked like he'd have to deal with the mess. He called for Kiyone and Sentarou. Though he was in no mood for their arguing now, he could use their help.

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Hitsugaya was slowly walking towards the holding cells. He could have shunpoed, but he wanted the time to sort through his thoughts and feelings. And he also didn't feel ready to face Hinamori yet. He didn't think he'd be anytime soon. How do you face your sort-of-sister after you had her arrested? Momo was going to be mad at him. But he had to do it. If she was crazed by grief enough to attack Ichimaru, who knew what else was she capable of doing. And next time he might not be there to stop her before she got into even bigger trouble. Or before Ichimaru killed her. He wouldn't put it past the silver-haired captain to do such thing and smile all the way.

He hoped Hinamori had calmed down enough; it had been several hours since she had found Aizen's corpse. She should have gotten over her shock now and be capable of serious conversation. That is, if she wasn't crippled with grief. Considering how much she adored her captain, it was a definite possibility. Hitsugaya hoped it wasn't so. There was something important he had to talk to her about. And that brought him to the real reason of his visit.

He touched his chest, where a letter was hidden under his shihakushou. He had found it on Aizen's desk when he had been searching his room during the investigation. It was addressed to Hinamori and he immediately snatched and hid it. It was a private matter and he didn't want it to become a piece of evidence in the investigation. And Momo deserved to receive the last words of her captain. He planned on delivering it to her later or simply sending Matsumoto, but his conscience kept reminding him that it might be an important piece of evidence and he should return it. And he was also curious to see what was inside. It was strange that Aizen would write a letter to somebody he spoke to everyday just before he died. Hitsugaya's conscience reminded him that it was impolite to read other people's mail. _Damn__you,__conscience,_he thought, _pick__one__already._ In the end he decided that it would be unprofessional to discard a piece of evidence, though his conscience still insisted on objecting.

Finally his curiosity won. The letter wasn't sealed, just bound with a ribbon, so it should have been easy to open it, read its contents, fold it again and deliver it to Hinamori. Only nothing in life was ever that simple. When he opened the letter, he couldn't believe his eyes. Aizen was accusing him of his murder? That couldn't be right. Somebody must have forged the letter. But who? And which parts of the letter were false? Was something of it true? Was there really a conspiracy aiming to destroy Soul Society? The plan described in the letter sounded far-fetched, but he couldn't deny that there was something fishy about Kuchiki's execution and the ryoka trouble.

Soon he came to the conclusion that he won't be able to figure it out just by staring at the letter. First of all, he needed to know which parts were genuine and which weren't. The whole letter seemed to be written with Aizen's own hand to him, but he wasn't that familiar with the Fifth Division Captain's handwriting. He needed to ask somebody who knew it better. Who saw it every day. Somebody like his lieutenant. And he didn't even consider asking his former fukutaichou Ichimaru. He couldn't believe anything the fox-face would say to him anyway. That left him with Hinamori.

He really didn't want to upset her even more, but he had no other option. He hated himself for it, but he was going to show it to her. He had to confirm that the letter was counterfeit. And he was almost certain that it was, because when he had time to think about it, there were some obvious flaws in it. Even if the lieutenant was the captain's most trusted person, no sane captain would ever send his subordinate alone against an enemy dangerous enough to kill him. It would be a particularly nasty way to kill them. Hitsugaya just couldn't see the kind Captain Aizen doing something like that.

All too soon, the cell block appeared in front of him. He felt the sudden urge to turn back and run. He took a deep breath to steady himself. He came here with a purpose and he had to see it through. It was his duty. He walked through the corridors until he reached her cell. There he dismissed the guard and walked over to the bars.

"Shiro-chan!" Hinamori called when she spotted him. His first instinct was to correct her, but he stopped himself. Today of all days he could give her some slack.

"Hinamori-kun," he replied, trying to smile.

"Have you come to let me out?" she asked with hope in her wide eyes.

"Well," he didn't come to let her out. It would be too dangerous. As long as she was behind the bars, she couldn't do anything stupid. Like attacking Ichimaru again. No, for the time being it was better she remained locked up. But how to tell her without upsetting her further? Hitsugaya was never much good with words. "I'm sorry but I can't do it yet."

"No?" she looked stricken. "Why not?"

"Because..." he hesitated for a moment, searching for an answer she would accept, "There's a lot of paperwork to do concerning the mess."

"I know you're not a good liar, but this was a poor excuse even for you, Shiro-chan," Hinamori scowled.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" he sighed.

"No, you can't. And now tell me the real reason."

"I don't want anything to happen to you," he replied. "Here you are safe."

"I'm locked up!" she shouted. "I can't do anything here!"

"If I let you out, what would you do?" he asked quietly. She opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again without making a sound. "That's why I can't let you go," he said softly. "I don't want you to do something stupid and dig yourself deeper. You're in enough trouble as it is."

"I'm not a child, Shiro-chan. I can take care of myself," she replied.

"You're distraught," he observed. "It would be better if you cooled down first."

"How do you expect me to cool down when Aizen-taichou is dead and that man runs free!"

"I know it's hard, but what do you think you could do? Take on Ichimaru? Think about it. You'd stand no chance." Momo made an angry face, obviously wanting to tell him off, but then she calmed herself.

"You're right," she admitted. "I wouldn't stand a chance."

"I'm glad you see it," Hitsugaya gave her a small smile.

"So what did you come to see me about?" she asked. The young captain hesitated. He needed to know whether any part of the letter was true, but was it wise to show it to Hinamori? She was torn between despair and anger and he didn't want to disturb her further. But maybe if he showed her the letter, it would give her the feeling that she was doing something to help to find Captain Aizen's murdered. And it might take her mind off Ichimaru. With that, his decision was made. Later he'd want to kick himself for it, but at the moment it seemed like a good idea.

"I found a letter."

"A letter?" she questioned.

"Yes," he nodded. "I found it while I was investigating Captain Aizen's things."

"You were going through his things?" Hinamori looked scandalized.

"This is a murder investigation," he explained. "I have to look for any clue why somebody would want to kill him."

"Of course," she agreed. "Please, find the murderer, Shiro-chan. I can't imagine what kind of person would want to kill Aizen-taichou. Maybe it was the ryoka," she suggested. "Yes, only a ryoka can be wicked enough."

"I'm not sure," Hitsugaya frowned. "From what we've gathered about them, they aren't powerful enough to take out a captain."

"So it was Ichimaru then?"

"I don't know," Hitsugaya shrugged. "Momo, the letter I found was addressed to you."

"Really?" her eyes lit up. "Aizen-taichou wrote me a letter?"

"That's what I would like to know," Toushirou replied. "It looks like it was written by Aizen-taichou on first glance, but the things written inside make no sense."

"You read my letter?" Hinamori took offense. "You opened a letter Aizen-taichou wrote to me?" _I__told__you__so,_Hitsugaya's conscience jeered.

"It's official evidence, Momo. I shouldn't even be showing it to you."

"Then why are you?" she questioned.

"Because I want you to look at it," he answered. "Momo, I think the letter is a fake."

"A fake?" she asked in confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"Because of what's written inside," he explained. "I can't imagine Aizen-taichou writing such things. But if it is really a fake planted to lead the investigation in the wrong direction, somebody did a very good job of it. It looks like Aizen's handwriting. I wasn't able to tell the difference. That's why I came to you. You knew him the best. Can you tell me whether it is his handwriting or not? It would help the investigation very much."

"Alright," she agreed, obviously pleased that she could do something. Hitsugaya nearly smiled seeing her enthusiasm. It seemed like his plan was working. "I'll help you. Show me the letter."

Hitsugaya withdrew the folded sheet of paper from his shihakushou and handed it to his friend. She grabbed it impatiently and unfolded it hastily and began to read. "It looks real to me," she observed as she read the first few lines. But as she read further, the color slowly drained from her face.

"You murderer!" she shrieked.

"W-what?" Hitsugaya stammered, taken aback by the rage in her eyes.

"You killed Aizen-taichou!"

"Momo? What are you..."

"Don't 'Momo' me," she interrupted him. "You killed Aizen-taichou and you're going to pay."

"I didn't kill him!" Hitsugaya defended.

"Liar!" she accused. "He says so himself!" she pointed at the letter.

"I told you it was fake."

"It's real," she insisted. "I know Aizen-taichou and this is his handwriting!"

"But it makes no sense," the young captain said in confusion. "Why would he write that?"

"Because you killed him," Hinamori snapped.

"Listen to yourself, Momo," he pleaded. "It makes no sense. Why would I show you the letter if I really was guilty?"

"To make yourself look innocent," she snapped back. "But you aren't fooling me."

"That's nonsense," Hitsugaya protested. "Only you and I know about the letter. I could have just destroyed it."

"How would I know?" she shrugged. "You showed me and that was your mistake!"

"Momo calm down!" he shouted. "How can I convince you I didn't do it?"

"You can't!"

"Please calm down and think about it rationally," he pleaded.

"I'm thinking about it," she snapped. "How did you get there so fast?"

"I heard you scream," Hitsugaya answered.

"And why were you within earshot?" Momo questioned.

"I was looking for the ryoka."

"Good excuse," she scoffed.

"It's the truth," he insisted.

"The truth is that you killed Aizen-taichou."

"Momo, you know me. Would I do such thing?"

"Obviously I don't know you as well as I thought," she retorted.

"You're crazy."

"No, you are," she stated. "You're the one who killed Aizen-taichou. But I won't let you get away with it! I'm going to stop you right here! Hadou #..."

As she lifted her hands in preparation to cast a spell, Hitsugaya's eyes widened in shock. Screaming and accusing was one thing, but outright attacking him? His brain froze in incomprehension. His body reacted on instinct. His own hands shot up. "Hakufuku!" he called. Hinamori slumped down before she could name the spell. Toushirou watched her form lying prone on the ground. He couldn't believe what did just happen. Did Momo really just accuse him of murder and did she attack him? And did he knock her out in retaliation? It sounded like some bad nightmare, but he didn't think he'd wake up anytime soon. His brain still unwilling to deal with the matter, he stormed out of the prison, ignoring the confused stares of the guards he passed. In his rush to get away, he didn't even remember that he forgot the letter with Hinamori.

* * *

><p><strong>End note:<strong> I've been told by my beta-reader xJ11Cx that this chapter is too close to canon. If you thought so too, sorry, but this is the only way the events worked out. Next chapter has very big changes to the storyline. The grounds for them was laid in this chapter.


	4. Hostile grounds

**Author's** **note:** Chapter 4 here. More original stuff in this one than the last one. Also it has an illustration. You can see it on my DA page.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**The Importance of the Name – Hostile grounds**

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"What are you doing?" Ichigo shouted, angered at Yoruichi.

"Saving your life," she answered.

"But Chad and Hanatarou are still there! We have to save them!"

"You aren't in the shape to save anyone," the woman told him bluntly.

"I can't just abandon them!" the redhead protested.

"They will be alright," Yoruichi assured him. "Ukitake was there. He won't let them die."

"Really?" Kurosaki looked at her dubiously.

"Really," she nodded. "He's Rukia's commanding officer, he won't let her die. And he won't let die anyone who tried to help her. Your friends might be captured, but they won't die. So don't worry about them. Worry about yourself now."

"What do you mean?" he wanted to know.

"You cannot defeat Kuchiki Byakuya as you are now," she stated.

"I can defeat him," Ichigo protested. "If you didn't stop me..."

"You would be dead now," she interrupted. "But in three days, I can make you strong enough to fight him on equal grounds."

"Really?" That caught Ichigo's interest.

"Really," the cat-woman confirmed. "In just three days, I can help you release Zangetsu's real power."

"Zangetsu's real power?" Ichigo repeated. "What do you know about it? I'm the one who knows the most about Zangetsu!"

"Of course you are, but I know more about zanpakutou in general. For instance, did you know that every zanpakutou has two levels of release?"

"Uh..." Ichigo scratched his head, "I think Rukia might have mentioned it once, but it was a long time ago."

"Did she also mention that obtaining the second release, Bankai, is a basic requirement on becoming a captain?" Yoruichi asked.

"Maybe," Ichigo shrugged. "I can't remember."

"She might have mentioned that Bankai is generally five to ten times stronger than shikai."

"Ten times stronger?" Kurosaki's eyes widened. "Wow."

"Yes," she nodded. "And because Byakuya is a captain, he has Bankai. So while you might have been able to fight his shikai, which was unlikely in your condition, he could have whipped out Bankai at any moment, became ten times stronger and completely annihilated you."

"That sounds scary," the youth said, suddenly understanding that Byakuya might be an opponent too tough for him. But that had never stopped him before and he wasn't going to let it scare him now.

"Training for Bankai usually takes ten years," Yoruichi continued.

"Ten years?" Ichigo exclaimed. "We don't have ten years!"

"I know," Yoruichi answered. "That's why I'll teach you in only three days. But this method is much more dangerous than the regular one. If you don't make it in three days..."

"I don't care," Ichigo interrupted her. "Don't tell me what would happen if I don't make it. If I need Bankai to defeat that jerk and save Rukia, then I will make it, so what happens if I don't make it doesn't matter at all. Just show me the shortcut already."

"Very well," Yoruichi nodded with a smile. "Watch and listen."

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"Are you alright?" the prison guard asked the prone girl. Quite predictably, the girl didn't react. The guardsman sighed in frustration. What was he supposed to do? He had heard her yelling, though he couldn't make out the words, and then Captain Hitsugaya stormed out of the room. It looked like the young captain did something to her. He didn't like it. He could never stand somebody hurting a girl. But what could he do against a captain? Nothing, that was it. The only think he could do was to take care of his poor victim. He unlocked the cell door and walked in.

He crouched over the unconscious girl. He was no medic, but he decided to check her over anyway. She was breathing, the color of her cheeks seemed normal and he couldn't see any injury. So what was wrong with her? Was she merely knocked out? Probably. If so, then should he call the Fourth or not? Hinamori didn't look like she needed it, but then again, he was no medic. Maybe he had overlooked something.

Before he could decide, he noticed a sheet of paper clutched in the girl's hand. There was something written there. He was sure he hadn't seen it before. Overcame by curiosity, he gently pried her fingers open and picked the paper. As he read it, all color drained from his face. What was the meaning of this? He didn't know. He was just a lowly prison guard. But he knew that somebody had to see this. Maybe the captains would be able to make sense of it.

The letter in hand, he walked out of the prison building. Too lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Hinamori stirring awake.

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Renji lay on the bed in his cell, staring blankly at the ceiling. Though the wounds he had received during his battle with Kurosaki barely hurt anymore, the defeat still stung. No matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't defeat the red headed ryoka. All he could do was plead him to save Rukia in his stead and then wait and hope that Ichigo would make it. It was really pathetic.

Zabimaru appeared next to his bed, announcing that he was healed and ready to fight. Renji was always happy to see the white baboon with the snake for a tail. It was the proof of how far he had progressed. How many shinigami could boast being able to materialize their zanpakutou spirit? It always reminded him how close he was to achieving Bankai and making the most important step on his way to surpass captain Kuchiki. But what good it was to him when he was defeated, locked up and had to rely on another person to save Rukia?

Damn it, he was pathetic. It wasn't like this was the first time he had been defeated. He had his face grind in the dirt countless times and he had always bounced back, stronger for the experience. So why was he now feeling sorry for himself and whining like a little girl? Was one sound defeat enough to break him? Hell no. Zabimaru was right. They were both healed and ready to fight again. So why weren't they? He had his zanpakutou with him and his reiryoku hadn't been sealed. There was nothing holding him in. The bars just weren't enough for the task.

Renji picked up his zanpakutou and prepared to leave.

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Ishida knew their luck wasn't going to last. So far, they had been sneaking through Seireitei without much trouble. They managed to hide and avoid most of the shinigami and the few they couldn't avoid they defeated easily. Then they were suddenly surrounded by a group of low-level shinigami who invited them for tea in their barracks. It was so ludicrous that Ishida actually gaped. What was going on? Was it a trap? Did they really think they would fall for it? He was so distracted by the shock that he didn't realize where was the real attack coming from until it was almost too late. When the shinigami surrounding them suddenly began to bloat, he had no idea what was going on. He instinctively grabbed Ganju and flashed away. Yet even with the speed of Hirenkyaku he couldn't avoid the explosion fully. Both he and Ganju were thrown to the ground. That was when the freak appeared.

He wore the white haori of a captain, a hat that looked even more ridiculous than Urahara's and facepaint that made him look like some nightmarish clown. The moment Ganju saw him, he turned on his heels and ran. Ishida sighed. He hadn't really expected much of his companion, but he hadn't pegged him for quite such a coward. The captain made his arm segment and extend, trying to catch Ganju, saying something about not letting his test subjects escape. Ishida shot his arm, making it fall off. Even if Ganju was a coward, he didn't deserve to be cut open by this freak.

"Quincy?" the captain said with disinterest. I already finished studying them. Then he proceeded to name all the experiments he had done on them. Uryuu thought he was going to throw up just from hearing this. How could somebody be so cruel and depraved? He didn't expect something like that even from a shinigami, and he thought nothing good about them. At that moment, he knew that he had to defeat this monster, no matter what. For the pride of the Quincy. To avenge his kinsmen who had died horribly to satisfy this abomination's sick curiosity.

When he later learned what Kurotsuchi did to his grandfather, all bets were off.

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"So how was your talk with Hinamori?" Matsumoto asked when her obviously disturbed captain walked into the office. He just shot her a glare. "That bad, huh," Matsumoto whistled.

"Worse," he snapped.

"Is she so upset about Aizen's death still?" the fukutaichou questioned.

"No," the taichou shook his head, "It was the letter."

"Did something in it upset her?" the blonde wanted to know. She had no idea what was in the letter. Her captain hadn't shown it to her.

"You can look for yourself," Hitsugaya decided. Maybe Matsumoto would have some useful insight into the situation. There was no way she would snap like Hinamori. He didn't have to fear showing her the damned letter. But as he reached into his shihakushou, he realized it wasn't there. Did he put it into his sleeve? No, he realized with a feeling of dread setting in his stomach, he had been so shaken by Hinamori's outburst that he had forgotten it there. Shit. If somebody found it...

"What's wrong, taichou?" Matsumoto asked upon seeing his rapidly paling face.

"The letter," he whispered before bolting out of the door, racing to the prison with his fastest shunpo. Matsumoto followed him at a slower pace.

Hitsugaya wanted to get back to Hinamori's cell before she woke up, but when he suddenly noticed a burst of the girl's reiatsu halfway there, he realized that he wasn't going to make it. Momo was already out of her cell and judging from her aura, she was furious. He'd have to calm her down and get her back into her cell before she'd do something stupid and land herself in even more trouble. And he also had to get the letter off her. He quickly shunpoed to her.

"Hinamori!" he called.

"Shiro-chan!" That was probably the only time he had been happy to hear the nickname. Did it mean that Momo had gotten over her madness and was able to think again? The tears in her eyes suggested that she was out of the 'mindless anger' phase. His hopes were crushed when she drew her zanpakutou and attacked him. He dodged.

"Stop it, Hinamori!" he pleaded.

"I'm going to kill you!" she snarled. "Snap, Tobiume!" Her zanpakutou changed into its released form.

"Calm down, Bed-wetter Momo!" Hitsugaya shouted, hoping that the nickname would snap her out of her rage. It was a big miscalculation. It made her even angrier.

"Don't call me that, you murderer!" she called, tears streaming from her eyes. But her murderous intent was palpable in the air. She tossed a fireball at Hitsugaya. The boy shunpoed away. The fireball continued on its path and destroyed the wall of a nearby building. The young captain cursed inwardly. There was obviously no reasoning with the enraged girl and they were attracting attention. So with a heavy heart he shunpoed behind her and knocked her out with a blow to her cranium. Hinamori slumped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, Tobiume returning to her sealed state. Hitsugaya knelt next to his body and began searching her clothes for the letter.

"Taichou, I had no idea you were so daring," a cheerful voice said.

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya exclaimed. He had completely missed when the lieutenant arrived.

"While I'm glad to see you're finally growing up, this isn't the right way to get under a girl's shirt," the busty blonde said.

"Stop your nonsense!" the young captain commanded angrily. "I'm looking for the letter!"

"That mysterious letter," Matsumoto said, her face serious once more. "What was in it that it made you so desperate?" Hitsugaya sighed deeply.

"That letter... Aizen accused me of a conspiracy and indirectly of his murder."

"What?" the fukutaichou couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yes," Hitsugaya confirmed. "And according to Hinamori, the letter is genuine."

"I see why you want to get it so badly," the woman said.

"And it looks like Hinamori doesn't have it," he sighed. "Take her to our barracks. I'll search the prison before somebody else finds it."

"Alright," Matsumoto said and picked Hinamori's unconscious form from the ground.

Hitsugaya watched her depart before racing towards the holding cells. He hoped he'd get there on time, but he had the sinking feeling that it was already too late.

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"I'm worried about Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun and Sado-kun," Orihime said. The two girls were walking along a street, trying to look like they had somewhere to be and they were supposed to be there five minutes ago. Tatsuki had to admit that Orihime's idea worked wonderfully. In the black uniforms they looked just like shinigami and nobody suspected them of being the ryoka. Everybody just passed them on the street, sometimes sending the girls a smile.

"They are strong," Tatsuki answered. "They can take care of themselves."

"I don't know," Orihime replied. "I can't feel Sado-kun, Ishida-kun and Ganju-kun anymore. And Kurosaki-kun is very faint."

"Really?" Arisawa asked worriedly. Her spiritual senses weren't as developed as Orihime's.

"Yes," Inoue nodded. "Something must have happened to them."

"That's bad," Tatsuki frowned. "If they really were captured," she didn't want to mention the other possibility in front of her friend, "then it's only us now."

"But what can we do?" Orihime looked helpless. "Everybody else is stronger than us."

"We are plenty strong too," Tatsuki reassured her.

"You think so?" the redhead didn't sound convinced.

"Yes, and now quiet. There's a search party in front of us."

Just as Tatsuki said, there was an important-looking (or rather self-important looking) man commanding units of shinigami searching the area. One such group was just reporting to him.

"Area 7-east searched. No ryoka found."

"Good," the commander nodded. "Now proceed to area eight."

"Yes, sir," the group nodded and left.

Orihime and Tatsuki tried to pass him, doing their best to look unimportant, but the man took notice of them anyway.

"Hey, you," he pointed at Orihime. The girl stopped in shock. Tatsuki prepared for battle. "I don't know you. Are you new here?" He didn't sound suspicious, merely interested.

"Yes, sir," Orihime replied with a smile. "I joined recently."

"Who are you?" the man asked with a smile that was more than a bit lecherous, staring at Orihime's chest.

"Inoue Orihime, sir."

"I am Umesada Toshimori. You probably heard of me. I share the 20th Seat of the Ninth Division, along with fifteen more officers. And I don't want to boast, but I am the strongest of those fifteen people." He certainly was boasting, despite having nothing to be proud of, in Tatsuki's opinion. Especially his math skills were deplorable. "Would you come to my room tonight?" Gosh, never heard about subtlety, did he? Orihime blinked in shock.

"Uh... I..."

"There's no need to be shy," the man prompted.

"Are you sure you should be flirting now?" Tatsuki interrupted. "What if the ryoka came and attacked you while you're making out?"

"Don't bug us, hag," the man scolded her. "There are no ryoka here. You're just jealous I didn't pick you," he stated grabbing Orihime. In the next instant he was hit by Tatsuki's fist. His eyes widened in surprise as realization settled in.

"Ryoka!" he screamed before Tatsuki's second hit knocked him out.

"Run," Tatsuki commanded, but at the moment one of the search parties appeared from behind a corner, their zanpakutou drawn.

"They went that way!" Orihime pointed at a random street. The squad rushed there in pursuit of nonexistent enemies.

"Thanks goodness for stupid mooks," Tatsuki muttered. "And now let's get out of here."

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Hitsugaya sighed in defeat. He had searched Hinamori's cell and the surrounding area thoroughly, but he couldn't find a single trace of the letter. The only thing he had managed to discover was Hinamori's means of escape, but the hole in the wall caused by a high-level Hadou was neither surprising nor important. The only thing that mattered was the letter and it was clearly gone.

He slowly walked out of the prison. The question was what was he supposed to do now. Whose hands was the letter in? He had to assume the worst and think that Yamamoto had already seen it. So what would the soutaichou do? Arrest him, send his case to the Central 46, who were especially execution-happy lately and then what? Would an investigation take place? With the ryoka still running amok in Seireitei, the chances weren't high. Central 46 favored a decisive action even during peacetime. And even if an investigation took place, the letter was evidence against him. Chances were, he'd end up being a scapegoat.

Just as he thought it, he realized he wasn't alone. There were stealthy figures moving through the shadows all around him. Only his captain-level senses could detect them and even that just barely. He immediately went on guard.

"Captain Hitsugaya, you're under arrest for the murder of Captain Aizen and a conspiracy against the Soul Society," Soifon announced as she appeared in front of him, her ninja surrounding him completely. Right on cue, Toushirou thought. Of course the letter had found its way to the authorities. The worst possibility happened disturbingly often, especially where he was concerned. "Please don't resist and come with us to the detention cells."

"I didn't do it," he said, on the verge of panicking. If he went with them, he'd end badly. If the Central 46 could order the execution of Kuchiki for something that wasn't a capital crime, what would happen to him? Murdering a captain was a capital offense. He didn't put much faith into a thorough investigation and a fair trial. He had to get away and somehow clear his name.

"Everybody says that," Soifon replied dismissively. "Now come with us."

Hitsugaya reached for his sword. Just as he touched the hilt, Soifon was on his back, holding Suzumebachi, thankfully sealed, to his neck. It had happened so fast that he had seen only a blur. He couldn't compare to the Commander of the Onmitsukidou when it came to shunpo. He was in a dire situation. Soifon was holding him and her ninja were blocking his possible escape in all directions. Wait, not all of them. And he still had his hand on Hyourinmaru.

"Bankai!" Soifon was taken off guard. The sudden blast of reiatsu threw her away, the coldness of the ice forming the wings exactly where she stood causing her severe frostbite. She landed on the ground, dazed. Hitsugaya swung his zanpakutou at her, trapping her under a block of ice. It wouldn't kill her, but it would confine her for long enough.

The Onmitsukidou agents, shocked by the sudden change in situation, gathered their bearings and attacked him. But they weren't faster than him. Especially when he was in Bankai. One swing of Hyourinmaru pushed them back. Then Hitsugaya flapped his ice wings and took to the sky. Soon he disappeared into the night.

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Ganju ran through the streets of Seireitei. He cursed his bad luck. The Quincy boy was fighting a freaking captain and undoubtedly losing and he was alone in the middle of the enemy territory. What was he even supposed to do? So far, they had established that he was one of the weaker members of the rescue group, if not the weakest, though he'd never admit it aloud. And even if he were the strongest, he doubted he could do anything against the might of the Gotei 13. If he ran into a captain or a lieutenant, he'd be done for. Even a Fifth Seat could prove too much for him to handle. So what was he supposed to do? Should he really risk his life to save some shinigami he had never met? He hated shinigami. If it was just him, he'd turn around and run and never set foot into Seireitei again. But then he'd have to face his sister and admit he had been completely useless and failed the mission she gave him. He shuddered. One thing he wanted to face even less than a battalion of shinigami was angry Kuukaku. But facing an angry captain sounded just as bad. So should he take his chance with the evil he didn't know or the evil he did know? It was a tough choice.

Before he could decide, he realized that fate had made the decision for him. As he was lost in thought, he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings and he suddenly found himself face-to-face with two shinigami. One of them was a woman with long blue hair tied in a braid. She could be pretty if she wasn't scowling so much. The other was a tall, broad blond man with bare muscular arms who resembled a bear.

"Looks like we got lucky," the woman grinned evilly. "We found a ryoka. Think if we capture him, we'd get promoted?"

"You might even make Ninth Seat, Touji," the man said.

"You'd have to capture me first!" Ganju declared before throwing a firework at them. They both evaded easily and drew their zanpakutou. The woman attacked first. She jumped at Ganju from his left and swung her sword at his neck. The Shiba blocked with his own blade. Then he had to quickly jump back to avoid the man's attack. He turned on his heel and punched the man in the side. He grumbled as he stumbled and bumped into his partner.

"Watch your step, Minamoto!" she shouted angrily.

"Sorry," the man said sheepishly. "It won't happen again." Then he looked at Ganju intently. "Saku, Hitsume." _Rip__him__open,__Brown__Bear__'__s__Claw,_ he said. _So__I__was__right__with__the__bear,_Ganju thought. The zanpakutou in his hand changed shape. Instead of a sword, it changed into a kind of armor that covered the man's shoulders, was connected by chains with armor on his forearms and made vicious-looking claws on both of his hands. Ganju gulped. The shikai looked dangerous.

As soon as he thought it, Touji released too. "Terikagayake, Nijihebi!" (Shine brilliantly, Rainbow Snake!) The blade of her zanpakutou changed into a form that resembled a snake made of bright light that was constantly changing colors. Ganju had no idea what did it do, but facing two released shikai wasn't a thing he wanted to do. He had to get away from here quickly.

He reached into his pocket for a special brand of fireworks. There made little light, but a lot of smoke that irritated the eyes and noses. He threw them in a wide arc at the two shinigami rapidly approaching him. They tried to dodge, but the blast covered a big area and they were both affected.

Ganju quickly knelt down and placed his right palm on the ground. "Renkan Seppa Shen!" he called. The ground under the two shinigami's feet turned into sand, trapping them. Ganju smiled and ran.

"Get back!" Touji screamed at him angrily, but he only smirked. She couldn't hurt him anymore. But just as he thought he was in the clear, he realized that his path was blocked. In the middle of the street stood a giant of a man wearing only a half of his shirt, just like Jidanbou did.

"This is the end for you, foolish ryoka," the giant said boastfully. "Because I, Tatsufusa Enjouji, Third Seat of the Eighth Division, am here!" Ganju quickly debated his chances of getting around him. He decided that they were low. He should return to the last intersection and try another street. He turned on his heel and ran. But before he could get far enough, he saw the two shinigami he had trapped in the sand running to meet him. They had dug themselves out of the sand faster than he had expected. Ganju cursed. He was trapped between three strong opponents. But he wasn't going down without a fight. Kuukaku would kill him if he just gave up.

He reached into his pocket for his strongest firework. He quickly lit the fuse and prepared to throw it. The blond bear-like man reached him. Ganju barely dodged his punch. The wall behind him now sported a hole. The Shiba grimaced. If he got hit by that, he'd be done for. He quickly threw the firework before it exploded in his hand. But in the moment of panic he had misjudged the distance and the bomb flew too far. It exploded harmlessly far behind the shinigami. He had to jump back to avoid the glowing snake that was the woman's shikai. He jumped right before Tatsufusa. The man punched him. Ganju managed to twist his body so he prevented the worst damage, but he was knocked to the ground nonetheless. He tried to get up, but Touji attacked again, hitting him with her shikai in the middle of his chest. There was no pain, but Ganju realized he couldn't move. His whole body felt numb. He realized he lost. Before the shinigami knocked him out with a kidou blast, he had enough time for one last thought: _Nee-san__is__going__to__kill__me._

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Matsumoto just finished settling the still unconscious Hinamori onto a bed and confining her inside a barrier, when she felt it. Her captain released Hyourinmaru. It slammed into her like a hammer, that cold, strong burst of reiatsu. The realization that this wasn't mere shikai slammed into her next. It enveloped her heart in a blanked of cold fear. What could have made her captain release Bankai so suddenly? Did he run into the ryoka? Were they that strong? She wanted to rush to his assistance, despite knowing that if a Bankai was needed, her abilities wouldn't make a difference. But before she could go, the Bankai disappeared. She couldn't locate his reiatsu anymore. Was he dead? No, she was sure she would know if her captain died. He was alive, just hiding his reiatsu, something he was quite good at.

For the next several hours, she battled her own anxiety as well as the worried questions of her division members. _Was__that__the__captain__'__s__release?__Where__is__he?__How__is__he?_Such were their questions. Matsumoto wished she had an answer for them. She wished she had one for herself. Not knowing what had happened to Hitsugaya was slowly killing her.

Then she got the message. The member of the Onmitsukidou knelt in front of her, delivered the news in a monotone voice and took off again. She had suspected what she was going to hear, but she still had to sit down and pour herself a cup of sake to deal with it. So now her captain was officially accused of murder of another captain. That was bad. Really bad. If the real murdered wasn't found soon, Hitsugaya was going to take the full blame. She didn't want to even think about what they would do to him. Almost against her will, she looked towards the Soukyoku Hill. There was already one execution scheduled to happen soon.

She cut the train of thought forcibly. It brought her nowhere. It only made her want more sake. She couldn't afford to get drunk now. She had to help her captain. She didn't believe even for a minute that he was guilty, but she knew that others would believe it. But at least they didn't catch him. Yes. Hitsugaya was still free somewhere in the Seireitei. But for how long? The Onmitsukidou was out in force, looking for any sign of him. How long can he avoid them? He might have a better chance if he managed to get out into the Rukongai or the Living World, but then he would never be able to return.

That thought chilled Matsumoto to the bone. She poured herself another cup despite her earlier resolution to stay sober. What if her captain never returned? What would she do without him? She downed another cup. She couldn't think like that. She wanted to run after her captain, but she had no idea where he was. So she had to stay. She had to keep the Tenth Division going until he returned. And believe he was going to return. Some day, somehow. If she started thinking that she wouldn't see him again, she would succumb to despair.

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Ishida could barely move his legs now. Keeping the Ransoutengai active was becoming more and more of a strain. But he couldn't deactivate it. The antidote Nemu had given him had stopped the spread of the poison, but the paralyzing effect of Ashisogi Jizou's blade still lingered. If he couldn't use reishi to manipulate his limbs as puppets, he'd fall over. And his ability to manipulate it was dwindling already, thanks to the aftereffects of removing the Sanrei Glove. If he just hadn't removed it... No, he shouldn't think like that. He'd never survived the fight against Kurotsuchi without the power boost. But even with it, he had failed to kill the monster. And now his powers were disappearing, he'd never have a chance to try again. It made him want to curl in a fetal position and cry.

But he had to press on. He still had a mission. He looked up. The Senzaikyuu was close now. If he could remain upright for a while longer, he might be able to save Kuchiki. He allowed himself a small smile. He imagined Kurosaki's face if somebody else saved his girl before he did. That should be priceless. Maybe he'd still have a chance to show his superiority over the shinigami.

But almost as soon as he thought it, he realized that he wasn't alone anymore. Somebody was blocking his way. Somebody in a captain's coat. Uryuu could only stare in disbelief at his misfortune. He had just given his all into fighting a captain. He had no more strength left to do it again. And running was out of the question too.

"I have nothing against you," Tousen spoke, "but I have to terminate you for the sake of peace. Cry, Suzumushi!" The blind man drew his zanpakutou, activating its power. There was a piercing sound burrowing into Ishida's brain. Then only darkness.

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Ichigo was breathing heavily as he eyed his opponent. Ten paces from him, the materialization of Zangetsu stood, looking just as impassive as ever.

"Is that all?" Zangetsu asked. "You can't even touch me like that."

"Tcha," Ichigo replied. "I barely began." He pulled the closest sword from the ground and attacked, hoping that this one would be the right one. He had tried to figure out which one of the swords was the real Zangetsu, but aside from their appearance, there was nothing that distinguished them. When the one that looked just like Zangetsu broke in his hands, he realized that appearance was their least important trait. He tried finding the correct one by its reiatsu, but all of the swords seemed the same. He concluded that the only way to find the correct one would be just to try all of them. He just didn't know whether he would do it in time. Half of the time he had for achieving Bankai was already gone and he had tried only about a quarter of the swords. And he was going through them slower and slower, as each sword lasted longer than the previous one. He couldn't help but think what would happen if he didn't make it in time. He banished such thoughts. If he started doubting himself now, he would never make it. He just had to do his best. He was going to achieve Bankai and save Rukia. There was just no other option.

Yoruichi watched the battle with a frown on her face. Ichigo was improving and fast, that much was obvious. But would it be enough? While Ichigo's skills were growing in front of her eyes, his reiatsu got only a little stronger. While it was still a faster improvement than she had seen in any shinigami, she wasn't sure it was enough to grant him Bankai in only a day and a half. And that wasn't all that worried her. For several hours now, a bad feeling had been bugging her. She had no idea what could have caused it, but she could feel that something bad had happened. And her feelings were usually right. She yearned to run out into the Seireitei and find out what had happened, but she couldn't. Ichigo's Bankai training was the most important thing right now and the boy wouldn't be able to continue without her assistance. She had to do everything to help him unlock his next level of power. Their fates depended on it, even if Ichigo didn't know about it yet.

Something snapped her out of her musings. What was it? There! Reiatsu, and a strong one. And it was close. Somebody had found them. She turned towards the ladder. A figure was climbing down it. She must have been lost in her thoughts big time not to notice the intruder before. She scolded herself. Such inattention could prove fatal.

The figure jumped down and landed close to them.

"Nice place you have here," said Lieutenant Abarai.

"Renji!" Ichigo whirled around, only now noticing that they had company. _We__really__have__to__do__something__about__his__reiatsu-sensing,_Yoruichi thought. "What are you doing here? Did you come to fight me?"

"No," the lieutenant shook his head. "I didn't come to fight you."

"Then why?"

"I need a place to train, just like you. You see, I've been training for Bankai too. And I'm really close," he said with no small amount of pride in his voice.

"Why did you come here?" Yoruichi questioned. "You must have other places to train."

"I usually do, but, you see, I'm currently on the run too."

"What?" Ichigo blinked.

"Captain Kuchiki wasn't too impressed with me and threw me in jail," the lieutenant explained. "But I escaped. I need to finish my training quickly to save Rukia."

"Isn't there still a week left?" Kurosaki asked.

"No," Abarai shook his head. "The execution got moved again. It's going to be tomorrow at noon."

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed. Yoruichi looked grave.

"We mustn't waste any time."

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Hitsugaya sighed in relief as another patrol passed by him without even glancing at his hiding place. It had been close. Despite his ability to conceal his reiatsu completely, his control tended to slip from time to time. If that happened, the whole Onmitsukidou would know where to come for him. And this time he wouldn't be able to catch Captain Soifon off guard.

He spent the whole day dodging the various patrols and search parties running through Seireitei. It wasn't easy being a fugitive during a time of heightened security. When he had first fled from Soifon and her bunch of Onmitsukidou assassins, he had thought he would be able to find a proof to clear his name. Unfortunately thanks to the need to remain hidden, he had soon realized that there was very little he could do. He couldn't talk to anyone, because they'd turn him in. The only one he still trusted was Matsumoto, but he didn't want to get his loyal lieutenant in trouble. He tried to spy on Ichimaru earlier, but he ran into an Onmitsukidou patrol and it was all he could do to shake them off before Soifon arrived. He rubbed his throat, where a tiny scar was where Suzumebachi had bit into his neck earlier. He was very lucky that Soifon didn't manage to cut through his throat before the reiatsu of his Bankai shielded him and threw her back. He had gotten away with only a skin-deep wound. He knew that next time he wasn't going to be so lucky. He didn't dare to come near the Third again. The place would be crawling with ninja now, probably including their commander.

Looking for physical evidence in places under guard was hard to do. He came to the conclusion that the only thing he might try was to gather some information from the ryoka. But even that was easier said than done. He couldn't ask them anything if he couldn't find them. And how was he supposed to locate them when the entirety of Seireitei was looking for them in vain? Even if he raced to every battle he felt, by the time he arrived the ryoka would be long gone. And he'd just run straight into the path of shinigami who raced to the battlesite too. It would require a tremendous stroke of good luck to even see a ryoka and luck was something that wasn't on his side often.

He heard steps approaching around the corner. Another patrol? He ducked back into his hiding place. He watched as two girls walked by, completely oblivious to his presence. _Idiots,_he thought. _The__whole__Seireitei__is__on__high__alert__and__they__walk__by__like__they__were__taking__a__stroll__in__the__park._Didn't they realize enemies could be everywhere? What if it was the ryoka hiding there instead of him? Those two might be dead before they realized what happened. They didn't even carry their zanpakutou. That was just plain stupid in his opinion. How did they intend to fight if they ran into the invaders? How did such hussies ever make it in the Gotei 13? Family connections? They looked like they cared about their looks more than their combat abilities. Especially the red-haired one. The dark-haired one seemed more tomboyish, not really caring about her appearance. She even let the hakama of her shihakushou drag behind her.

Hitsugaya paused. That was odd. Now he looked at her closer, her uniform was clearly a size too big for her. But that made no sense. Uniforms in her size were available, so why would she wear a too big one? Unless... he checked their reiatsu. Just as he suspected, that wasn't the reiatsu of a shinigami. So they were the ryoka. They had stolen some poor shinigami's clothes (hence the wrong size) and pretended to be one of them. Hitsugaya had to admit it was clever. No matter who they met, they could claim to be passing members of some other division. They could move around Seireitei freely without fearing detection. Though the fact that nobody noticed their strange reiatsu didn't speak favorably about the guards.

"_**You **__**almost **__**missed **__**them **__**either,**__**" **_Hyourinmaru reminded him. Hitsugaya nearly told his sword to shut up. But this was no time to argue with his own zanpakutou. He had to decide what to do now.

"_**Didn**__**'**__**t **__**you **__**want **__**to **__**talk **__**to **__**them?**__**" **_Hyourinmaru reminded him. It was quite a stroke of luck that the two ryoka appeared just when he was thinking about them.

"_Yes,__" _Hitsugaya answered, but it wasn't that easy. He didn't know whether they'd want to talk to him. They might attack him and then they'd be all caught. He'd have to approach them cautiously so they wouldn't be spooked. But that still didn't guarantee they wouldn't fight. _I __just __have __to __hope __for __the __best._

He walked out of his hiding place. He tried to look as nonthreatening as possible. That wasn't very hard. After he had removed his captain's haori shortly after escaping Soifon because it was too eye-catching, he looked just like a child. A child with a sword, but a child nonetheless. People who didn't know who he was couldn't believe he was a capable fighter. They changed they opinion once they were encased in a block of ice, but by that time it was too late for them.

Hitsugaya shunpoed in front of the two ryoka girls. Both Tatsuki and Orihime startled when they saw him, but relaxed when they realized that he was just a child. It irked Hitsugaya, despite the fact that that was the effect he was aiming for.

"Hello," he said, trying to smile. He wasn't sure he succeeded, it wasn't a facial expression he used often.

"Hello," Orihime smiled brightly. She always felt better when she saw something cute.

"Hello," Tatsuki said cautiously.

_First __step __successful, _Hitsugaya thought. _They __didn__'__t __attack __me __outright. __But __what __now?_

"I haven't seen you around here before," he said, trying to keep a conversational tone. "What division are you from?"

"Tenth," Orihime answered. Hitsugaya suppressed a grin. If there had been any lingering doubt, it would have been gone now. He was absolutely sure that there weren't girls like those two among his subordinates and that his subordinates should know what their captain looked like.

"Really?" he smiled. "I'm from the Tenth too." _Crap, _thought Tatsuki. _He __might __be __able __to __tell __we__'__re __not __who __we __claim __we __are._She prepared to knock him out. Dealing with a child shouldn't be hard. "And I don't recognize you and you don't recognize me. I'd say you aren't really from the Tenth. You aren't even from Seireitei, are you?"

Instead of an answer, Tatsuki punched him. Or tried to. Her fist hit only thin air.

"Please stop it," Hitsugaya spoke from behind her. "I don't want to fight you." Tatsuki didn't listen. She swung at him again. This time her wrist was caught in an iron grip. She tried to use her other hand, but that was caught too. "I'm not your enemy," Hitsugaya said, but he didn't convince her. She tried to kick him. He let go of her, shunpoed behind her, knocked her to the ground and twisted her arms behind her back.

"Will you listen to me now?" he asked, a bit of anger and frustration showing in his voice.

"Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun!" Toushirou was forced to quickly dodge a boomerang-shaped projectile, having to let go of Tatsuki in the process. The girl used the opportunity to spring to her feet.

"I want just to talk," he tried for one last time. The two girls weren't still convinced. Tatsuki prepared to attack him again. He sighed. They gave him no choice. He hadn't wanted to attack them, but they showed that they wouldn't listen otherwise.

"Bakudou #9: Geki!" he called. Tatsuki was enveloped in red light suddenly unable to move.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime screamed. Hitsugaya shot Geki at her too, but the spell was stopped by a triangular shield suddenly appearing between them. That was an interesting technique, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome of the fight. He shunpoed behind her and before the girl had the time to turn around, he bound her arms with a Hainawa before she could react and use her shield.

"Will you listen now?" he asked impatiently. "I am not your enemy."

"Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun!" Orihime used her powers to cut through the Kidou rope binding her hands. "Souten Kisshun!" she used the shield of rejection to destroy the spell binding Tatsuki. Hitsugaya blinked in surprise. This one was powerful and she had some interesting powers. They also cooperated well. It was no wonder that they got so far. And though their powers weren't enough to endanger him, he still didn't want to fight them.

"Please, I don't want to fight you," he said again. "I'm on the run, just as you are. I just want to talk to you. If I really wanted to hurt you, there would be nothing you could do about it."

Orihime looked determined, Tatsuki looked thoughtful. She realized that the person she was facing was no ordinary child. He was running in circles around her and he hadn't even touched his sword. And the spells he had hit them with only restrained them, they didn't cause any pain or damage. She didn't doubt that he could have defeated them easily if he really wanted to, though she wasn't certain that he really meant no harm. She'd have to be careful.

"So what do you want to talk about? And who are you and why are you on the run?" she asked cautiously.

"My name is Hitsugaya Toushirou," he introduced himself. "As for why I am on the run, have you heard about the murdered captain?"

"Yes," Orihime confirmed. A lot of the shinigami they had passed in the streets talked about it. It was impossible not to notice.

"Well, before he died, he wrote a letter that he had discovered a conspiracy and he was going to meet the person behind it and he might be killed," the boy explained. "He named me as the person behind it. But I know I didn't do anything like that. Then the letter got out and I ended up blamed for Captain Aizen's murder."

"That still doesn't explain what do you want with us," Tatsuki said.

"Too many strange things are happening at once," Hitsugaya said. "I can't help but think your arrival and Aizen's murder are connected somehow."

"We didn't do it," Orihime said.

"I believe you," Hitsugaya replied. The two of them weren't powerful enough to take on a captain. He couldn't be sure about the other ryoka. One of them had beaten up Kenpachi really bad, but even he wouldn't be able to take down Aizen without creating a commotion. "I wanted to talk to you to compare what we know and maybe figure out what's going on. Too many things lately make no sense."

"Let's suppose I believe you," Tatsuki said. "Why should we help you?"

"You want to rescue Kuchiki-san, don't you?" Tatsuki nodded. "Aizen's letter mentioned that the conspirators want to use the Soukyoku's power for their own ends during the execution. If that's true, then we have common interest in stopping the execution. And you can use some extra manpower."

"That makes sense," Orihime said.

"I'm glad you agree," Hitsugaya smiled in relief. "Now we should go somewhere private. That fight earlier must have attracted attention."

Almost as soon as he said it, two shinigami rounded the corner. One was a woman with short black hair, the other was a tall thin pale man. Both had their hands on the hilts of their zanpakutou and were on high alert. Hitsugaya sighed. Of course it had to be somebody he knew personally, though it had been a long time since he'd seen them.

"What happened here?" the woman asked. Then her eyes fell on Toushirou. She gasped in surprise. "Hitsu..." she didn't finish.

"Rikujoukourou!" Hitsugaya's spell hit her point blank and stopped her in her tracks. Her companion had just enough time to draw his sword before Hitsugaya appeared behind him and knocked him out with the hilt of his katana. He then did the same to the woman.

"Now we really have to run," he said. Neither Orihime nor Tatsuki argued.

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Ishida opened his eyes. He was still alive? That was a surprise. When he ran into the second captain, he had been sure he was done for. But he had somehow survived. Or did he? This was the land of the dead after all. He surveyed his body. It was covered in bandages and it hurt. So he was probably still alive.

The next thing he noticed was that his hands were bound. So he was captured. And the bonds held tight, he couldn't free his hands no matter how he moved them. Then he realized that he could move his hands again. So Kurotsuchi's poison was out of his system now. Did somebody heal him?

"Awake now?" The Quincy looked for the source of the voice. It didn't take him long to identify it. Ganju was a bit bandaged up, but still recognizable. The same couldn't be said about the third occupant of their cell. He was so wrapped in bandages he looked like a mummy.

"Where are we?" Uryuu asked, hoping for an answer more telling than 'prison.'

"Cells under the Fourth Division," the Shiba answered. "They were so nice to patch us up, but their sealed our reiatsu," he added showing the bracelets on his wrists. Ishida looked down to see that he was now sporting an identical set. Not that they made any difference.

"I'd break the wall down if it wasn't for these," the last occupant of their cell said.

"Sado-san?" the Quincy wasn't sure whether he recognized his classmate right. But with stature that big, who else could it be? "How did they get you?"

"At the Senzaikyuu," the big boy explained. "We found Kuchiki-san, but Kuchiki-taichou appeared before we could get her out. I couldn't do anything against him."

"What about Kurosaki?" Ishida questioned. Chad just shrugged.

"You both survived fighting captains?" Ganju asked wide-eyed. They both nodded. "That's crazy."

"How did they get you?' Uryuu inquired.

"I ran into a whole battalion of shinigami," Shiba said. The Quincy looked at him dubiously. "So there were only three," Ganju admitted, "but they were strong. But I roughened them up a lot!" Neither of his companions looked like they believed the last statement, but neither questioned it either. What would be the point? They were all captured. They could do nothing but sit and wait to be saved. It was an ironic situation for a rescue party.

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Tatsuki agreed that their new guide knew the layout of Seireitei very well. He navigated expertly through the maze of narrow alleys, dead ends and crossroads looking all the same with a certainty gained by long experience. He finally led them to an empty building that was big enough to be a warehouse.

"Where are we?" Tatsuki asked.

"It's an old and unused dojo," Hitsugaya explained. "Nobody comes here anymore. We won't be disturbed in here."

"That sounds fine," Tatsuki nodded. "Now one question: why did the letter blame you and why did everybody believe it? I understood that the captains are the strongest warriors here. Why would anyone believe that a child could kill one?"

Hitsugaya's control of his reiatsu slipped for a moment and the room was covered in frost. "Don't call me a child," he growled. Both Tatsuki and Orihime made a step back. "I'm a captain too."

"You?" Orihime blinked. "But you don't look like one." Hitsugaya shot her a dangerous glare. "You don't have the white coat." The boy calmed a bit.

"I hid it because it was too conspicuous," he replied. "Any other questions?"

"So what do you know about the whole situation?" Tatsuki asked, changing the topic before Orihime could say something even more offensive.

"Mostly things that don't make sense," Hitsugaya sighed. "I'll start at the beginning. First, Ichimaru was at the West Gate even when he wasn't supposed to and didn't kill you when he was supposed to."

"He let us go. He even waved us goodbye," Orihime added.

"When he was asked for an explanation during the subsequent captains' meeting, he didn't have one and then the intruders alarm interrupted. Twelve hours before you broke in."

"That's strange. Who sounded the alarm?" Tatsuki asked.

"The guards," Hitsugaya answered.

"Why?" she inquired.

"That I don't know," Hitsugaya shrugged. "I haven't spoken to them. At the moment, I had no reason to doubt them and when I did have the reason, I had no time." Tatsuki acknowledged it with a nod.

"So what happened next?"

"You came and battled our forces. Nothing strange about it. Then the next morning Captain Aizen was found murdered. Before he died, he wrote a letter."

"The letter accusing you," Arisawa stated.

"Yes," Hitsugaya nodded. "That one."

"What exactly was in it?" she inquired.

"He writes that he had discovered a conspiracy. The conspirators want to use the execution of Kuchiki Rukia to take control of the Soukyoku and destroy the Soul Society. He wrote that he was going to meet the conspirator that night and asked Hinamori to stop the culprit in case he was killed. And he named me as the chief conspirator. I found the letter in his room the next day when I was investigation the murder and read it. I suspected it was a forgery, because I know I didn't do it and other discrepancies, but it looked so real. I had to ask somebody who knew Aizen better so I asked Hinamori. Oh, Hinamori is Aizen's lieutenant," he added when he noticed the girls' confused stares. "In hindsight, that was stupid. She immediately believed everything written there and attacked me. I knocked her out, but I was so shocked I forgot the letter with her. She escaped the prison and attacked me. And the letter was found and I was blamed for Aizen's murder." He sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Nothing of this makes any sense. When it was just Kuchiki's execution for something that isn't a capital offense, I thought she did something else and her most serious crime was classified. Shortening the grace period by ten days was suspicious, but still not too much. Then you came. Ichimaru let you go. But that's Ichimaru. He always did weird and twisted things and loves messing with people's heads. Then the convenient alarm. The guards might have made a mistake, we've had false alarms before, but the timing is suspicious. Then Aizen and Ichimaru had a strange conversation as the meeting was dismissed. Aizen commented on the convenient timing of the alarm and Ichimaru responded with a veiled threat. And they spoke somewhere everybody could hear. Strange. And Ichimaru used to be Aizen's lieutenant before becoming a captain. They should know each other well.

And then comes Aizen's murder. How comes nobody knew until morning? Killing a captain isn't easy. Especially when he was awake and able to defend himself. There should have been a fight with so much reiatsu that the whole Seireitei would know about it. But there was nothing. Aizen went down without a fight. I don't understand how that could have happened. Maybe the Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidou is skilled enough to sneak up on him and kill him without causing a commotion, but even that is doubtful. And then there's the letter. Is it a perfect forgery? Or is it genuine? But why would Aizen write something like that? Did someone make him? How? And the whole matter with Kuchiki's execution. Why is it happening and why does the date keep moving forward? What do the Central 46 want to accomplish? Shorten the time you have to save her?"

"The Central 46?" Orihime asked. "What's that?"

"They are the government of the Soul Society," Hitsugaya explained. "All the decisions come from there. All crimes are judged there."

"So the conspirators are there?" Orihime asked. Two pairs of eyes looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"What?" Tatsuki and Hitsugaya asked in unison.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Orihime said.

"Maybe for you," Tatsuki muttered.

"You said that the conspirators want to use the Soukyoku during Kuchiki's execution. And the decisions about the execution come from the Central 46. So the conspirators must be controlling it," Inoue explained her reasoning.

"But that's... that's impossible," Hitsugaya said. "Central 46 are the most protected people in the Soul Society. Their residence is completely isolated and heavily guarded. Even for captains and heads of the noble families it's hard to gain an audience. They cannot be influenced from outside."

"Maybe the isolation got to their brains," Tatsuki commented.

"They're the wisest elders picked from around the Soul Society," Toushirou said. "They aren't crazy."

"But Orihime is right," Tatsuki continued. "The orders are coming from the Central 46 and they are suspicious. So something odd is going on there."

"Maybe," Hitsugaya shrugged. He couldn't find a fault in the girls' logic, but what they were suggesting went against what he believed. He had trouble accepting it. "Now, what about your side of the story?"

"I wasn't there where it began," Tatsuki started, "but I heard that one day Ichigo's family was targeted by a Hollow. Rukia was wounded severely while fighting it. So in desperation, she lent her powers to Ichigo. I don't get why that is so bad. It was the only thing she could do to save them."

"Too many things can get wrong with the process," Hitsugaya explained. "It could have destroyed both of their souls forever. Once it caused an explosion strong enough to level a city block. Or it could have turned them into Hollows. Such things happened. And that still isn't the worst-case scenario."

"Oh, I guess there is a reason it's forbidden," Tatsuki gulped. Orihime paled imagining what could have happened.

"Well, anyway," Tatsuki continued, "it worked and the Kurosakis were saved. Ichigo did the shinigami work and Rukia joined our class, pretending to be a transfer student. They saved us from Orihime's brother turned into a Hollow. And then Ishida decided to show Ichigo up and they started some stupid competition on who can slay the most Hollows. That idiot Uryuu released some Hollow bait and Karakura was flooded with Hollows. It was during the fight that we have awakened our spiritual powers. Then we were gathered by Urahara."

"Urahara?" Hitsugaya echoed.

"You sound like you know him," Tatsuki observed.

"I've heard the name before," Hitsugaya answered. "I don't know whether it's the same man."

"Well. And that Urahara explained us about the spiritual world and let us watch as Ichigo fought that giant Hollow. Two days after that, Rukia disappeared from our class and nobody but us was able to remember that she had ever been there. And Ichigo was wounded. We learned that she'd been taken to the Soul Society for execution. Ichigo went with Urahara to reclaim his powers and we trained how to use ours. And then Urahara built the gate and sent us to Soul Society with Yoruichi as a guide." The girl noticed Hitsugaya's eyes widening at the name. "And the rest you know. And may I ask now, what do you know about Urahara and Yoruichi?"

"It's an old history," the boy answered. "I've only heard about them." His mind was racing. Could they really be those people?

"So what did you hear?" Tatsuki interrupted his train of thoughts.

"It happened a hundred years ago. Urahara Kisuke used to be the Twelfth Division Captain and president of the Research and Development Institute back then."

"He's a shinigami?" Orihime asked wide-eyed.

"I knew he was hiding something," Tatsuki stated victoriously.

"Shihouin Yoruichi used to be the Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidou and Second Division Captain," the young captain continued.

"Yoruichi is a cat," Orihime said.

"Huh?" Hitsugaya blinked.

"It doesn't matter," Tatsuki said. "So what happened next?"

"Illegal experiments were conducted in Rukongai. Souls were disappearing without a trace. The shinigami sent to investigate disappeared too. A unit of captains and lieutenants was sent to investigate. They ended up turned to Hollows."

"What?" Tatsuki exclaimed. Orihime only gasped for breath.

"Yes," Hitsugaya nodded gravely. "It was discovered that Urahara was experimenting with Hollowification. He was caught working on the eight victims. And with him was Tsukabishi Tessai, the leader of Kidou Corps."

"Tessai-san?" Orihime remembered the gentle giant. She couldn't imagine him doing anything so cruel.

"You know him too?" Toushirou asked.

"He's Urahara's assistant," the redhead answered. Hitsugaya acknowledged it with a nod. He was now almost certain that they were the same people, even if one of them was a cat. He continued his story.

"They were both arrested and tried, but Shihouin Yoruichi helped them escape, along with their eight victims. That was the last anyone have heard of them."

"I knew there was something fishy about Urahara, but this sounds too much," Tatsuki mused. "He did nothing but help us."

"That's what I heard," Hitsugaya replied. "He must have an ulterior motive in helping you. Your arrival threw Seireitei into chaos. It could be used as a smokescreen for anything. Like the assassination of a captain. Shunshin Yoruichi is one of the people who could have pulled it off."

"But why would she do that?" Orihime asked. Hitsugaya only shrugged.

"And what about the letter?" Tatsuki added. "And the alarm that sounded too soon? She was with us at Kuukaku's at the time."

"And Kuchiki's execution," Orihime reminded them.

"How could he influence the decisions of your government from the Living World?" Tatsuki asked.

"And if fishy things can happen here now, couldn't they have happened a hundred years ago too?" Orihime suggested.

"All of these are good questions," Hitsugaya agreed. "We are only theorizing here. We have very little facts and what we know makes no sense."

"Then we have to investigate," Orihime stated.

"Great idea," Hitsugaya agreed. "With the little problem that we are all wanted and can't go around asking questions. If I still could, I would have asked for an audience with the Central 46, but now that's out of the question."

"Can't we just break in?" Inoue suggested.

"It's the most guarded place in the whole Soul Society," Hitsugaya reminded her.

"Oh," Orihime blinked. "That's a problem."

"Yes," Tatsuki agreed. "It would be so nice if we could just ask Aizen who killed him and why did he write that letter."

"Too bad somebody killed him," Hitsugaya added.

"Well..." Orihime trailed off.

"What is it?" Tatsuki asked.

"With the Souten Kisshun, I wonder what's the limit of the events I can reject," the redhead mused.

"What are you talking about?" Hitsugaya asked.

"My Shun Shun Rikka," Orihime explained. "The Souten Kisshun ability allows me to reject events. So far, I've use it only to treat injuries and repair broken things. I wonder how big events I can reject. The most I've ever tried was Jidanbou's arm."

"Jidanbou's arm?" Hitsugaya questioned.

"Yes," the redhead nodded. "Ichimaru cut off his arm when he opened the gate for us. I reattached it."

"I haven't heard about that," Hitsugaya said. "Ichimaru didn't report it. But I thank you for it. Jidanbou is an old friend."

"You don't have to thank me," Orihime smiled. "I would never refuse to help a person in need."

"So what should we do now?" Tatsuki asked. "Breaking into the Central 46 is a bad idea and trying to resurrect Aizen probably won't work. What about that Ichimaru guy you said was acting strange?"

"I don't see what we could do about him," Hitsugaya shrugged. "I tried to get close to him before, but I ran into the Onmitsukidou. If we followed him around, we'd be found out, if we asked him questions, he wouldn't answer. Or he'd lie. If we fought him, half of Seireitei would be upon us."

"That doesn't sound good," Tatsuki frowned. "It seems like the safest option is to try resurrecting Aizen after all, even if it is crazy."

"The morgue is the least guarded out of the three targets," Hitsugaya mused aloud, "but we might run into Unohana-taichou there. In that case, we'd be screwed."

"Why?" Tatsuki questioned. "Aren't you a captain too?"

"You don't know Unohana," Hitsugaya replied. "It's impossible to fight her."

"But it's our only option," Orihime said.

"Well, we can always get to the nearest Senkaimon and hide in the Living World," Hitsugaya suggested.

"Out of the question," Tatsuki decided. "We came here to save Rukia and we aren't leaving without her."

"Yes," Orihime agreed. "No running away."

"Well. I'd much rather clear my name than spend the rest of my life on the run too. So to the morgue it is."

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Two of the oldest captains of the Gotei 13 met in the house next to the lake. They met like this often, sharing a drink, remembering the good old times and sharing bits of gossip. But today their mood was much more somber than usual.

"Can you believe it?" Ukitake asked.

"Believe what?" Kyouraku questioned. "That our defenses were breached so easily, that Aizen was murdered or that Hitsugaya did it?"

"Everything."

"Well," Kyouraku scratched his chin, "our defenses being broken isn't anything new. It happened before. We had murdered captains before too, but never so quietly and boldly. To think that it can happen in the middle of Seireitei without anybody noticing..." he shuddered. "And then there's the letter. That conspiracy sounds pretty serious."

"I can't believe Shiro-chan could be behind it," Ukitake said. Kyouraku adjusted his hat.

"As good as the kid is, I don't think he has the ability for something like that."

"So what do you think about the letter?"

"I don't know what to think," Kyouraku sighed. "It makes no sense. So many things make no sense lately."

"Like Rukia's sentence."

"That too," Shunsui nodded. "It seems like nothing is right anymore."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Do you have to ask? The same as every time."

"Genryuusai-sensei is going to kill us," Ukitake stated. "This time for real."

"I know," Kyouraku sighed. "But can we not do it?"

* * *

><p>End note: The OCs appearing here were cameos from On the Frozen Plain. Whoever liked them in OTFP can see they are still alright. They won't be appearing in this story again. Probably.<p> 


	5. Soukyoku Hill

**Author's note:** Chapter 5 here. I hope it doesn't disappoint. Just as all the previous chapters, this one has an illustration too. You can find it on my DeviantArt profile, link is on my author profile page.

On a different note, this is the last chapter I have prewritten and I'm a bit stuck on the next one, so I have no idea when the next update will come. I'll try to publish it soon, but I can make no promises.

Enough of the ranting, on with the story.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**The Importance of the Name – Soukyoku Hill**

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The corridors of the Fourth Division were dark and empty. The area close to the emergency rooms was still full of life, but here, near the morgue, nobody ventured. There were two sleepy guards positioned at the entrance, but a spell form Hitsugaya knocked them both out without making a sound. After that nothing was barring them from walking through the door and reaching Aizen's corpse.

The room was cold, dark and empty, only a little light illuminating it just enough for them not to run into tables.

"So where it is?" Tatsuki whispered.

"It should be over there," Hitsugaya pointed at a far table covered by a white sheet. He walked over to it and uncovered the body. "Yes, that's him."

There on the slab was lying the body of an ordinary-looking man. Orihime swallowed. The last time she saw a dead body was when Sora had died and this brought back memories. Her brother's body had been broken and bloody. This one looked even more lifeless than Sora's despite having only one wound in the chest. It was hard to believe that it once had been alive. The girl took a deep breath to steady herself. Would she really be able to return it back to life? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Shun'ou, Ayame, Souten Kisshun! I reject!" The two fairies separated from her hairpin and enveloped the body in a glowing shield. Everything looked alright, but Orihime could immediately tell that something was wrong. But what was it? She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Only the two Shun Shun Rikka were looking confused.

"What is it?" she asked them.

"We can't return this back to life," Shun'ou said. "Because this thing has never been alive."

"What?" Orihime asked in confusion.

"You heard me," Shun'ou replied. "This thing has never been alive."

"But isn't this the body of Captain Aizen?" the girl asked in confusion.

"This isn't anybody's body," the fairy stated.

"What is it, then?"

"Just lifeless things," Shun'ou answered. "It only looks like a body."

"Oh."

"What's going on?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Shun'ou says that this isn't a real body," Orihime explained. "That this is just something that looks like a body, but it has never been alive."

"I heard that," the young captain said. "Are you sure?"

"I am sure," the blond fairy stated.

"But Unohana-taichou examined it and she confirmed that the body was real. Nobody can fool her with a corpse doll," Hitsugaya argued.

"I don't know anything about that," Inoue shrugged.

"It doesn't look like a body now," Tatsuki observed. Orihime and Toushirou looked at the body. To Hitsugaya it looked just like it did before. To Tatsuki and Orihime however...

Because Orihime didn't deactivate her Souten Kisshun, the corpse doll was returning to its previous state, that is separating into the components it had been made of. Even knowing that it wasn't a real body (which now became apparent), it was still gross.

"What is it?" Hitsugaya asked seeing their slightly green faces.

"That's what I'd like to know too," a new voice sounded. Everybody whirled around. In the door stood a petite woman in a captain's haori with a long braid in the front. Behind her stood a tall grey-haired girl with the lieutenant's badge. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Unohana-taichou," Hitsugaya whispered in dread. Encountering the chief healer was scary even under the best of circumstances. Now it was enough to fill him with mindless panic.

"What are you doing to Aizen-taichou's body?" the lieutenant demanded. She looked ready to attack him.

"Calm down, Isane," Unohana said.

"This isn't a body," Tatsuki stated and pushed the pile of fake organs lying on the slab. The counterfeit bodyparts were scattered around the room. To the three shinigami, that looked as if Aizen's body suddenly exploded and its internal organs spilled out, yet at the same time it remained lying on the table twisted in an unnatural way. But parts of it also seemed to lie on the ground. Isane's eyes widened like saucers.

"What have you done!" she shouted, drew her zanpakutou and attacked Tatsuki. The girl just barely dodged what would be a fatal hit, but still received a gash on her upper arm.

"Enough!" Unohana ordered.

"But captain, Captain Aizen..." the lieutenant began, but her superior's glare stopped her.

"I've noticed something odd about his body before," Unohana spoke, "but I was unable to put my finger on it. But now it looks like I was right. The body is fake."

"What are you saying?" Isane looked at her in confusion.

"That this isn't really Aizen's body," the captain repeated. "Can't you see? There are two right hands and parts of his chest and stomach. And how did the organs get out of the body when it's undisturbed and still clothed?" the girl just looked befuddled.

"But... what? How? Why? Who?"

"That are the questions," Hitsugaya said.

"Hold it there!" Isane turned to him. "You're under arrest!"

"For what, exactly?" Hitsugaya asked calmly.

"Murdering Captain Aizen!"

"But there's no body," the boy pointed out. Kotetsu-fukutaichou looked embarrassed.

"You can't accuse someone of murder when there's no body," Orihime said.

"But the letter..."

"Was probably just as fake as the body," Hitsugaya said.

"What's going on?" Isane asked, sounding lost. At least she sheathed her zanpakutou now. Orihime turned to Tatsuki and used the Souten Kisshun to heal her arm.

"What is this technique?" Unohana asked with interest. "It is the same you were using before, isn't it?"

"Yes," the redhead confirmed.

"It heals her wound, but it isn't really healing," the captain continued. "What exactly does it do? Reverse time in a certain area?"

"No," Orihime shook her head. "It can reject events. It can restore things like they were never damaged. It's just a matter of power and time."

"Was that what you were trying to do with Aizen's body?" the chief healer questioned.

"I thought I might be able to reject his death," Orihime replied, sounding a bit embarrassed. Now she felt like her plan had been foolish. Rejecting somebody's death sounded like too much.

"You can do that?" Unohana asked, taken aback.

"I don't know," Inoue shrugged. "I've never tried it before. We had no better idea. But when I tried, I immediately realized that there was nothing to reject. That thing never died because it was never alive. And then I returned it to its previous state, which is a pile of spare parts."

"That's interesting," Unohana said. "But more important is to figure out what is this," she pointed at the remains of Aizen's corpse doll. "I know it isn't just an ordinary corpse doll. I've examined it to my best abilities and I seemed like a real body. And now it looks like it is parts of several bodies."

"What do you mean?" Tatsuki asked. "I see just parts of one body."

"But... can't you see that?" Isane asked.

"It looks like we see different things," Unohana concluded. "The question is how does it work. If it is an illusion, why does it affect only certain people? Are we perhaps hypnotized? If so, when did it happen?"

"I think we should put together everything we know and try to make sense of it," Tatsuki suggested. Nobody disagreed.

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Ichigo watched as his opponent attacked. The high swing of the heavy blade was aimed between his right shoulder and neck. He lifted his blade as if to block, but instead ducked at the last moment. Zangetsu's blade flew above his giant saw-like weapon. And the zanpakutou spirit's guard was open wide. Ichigo capitalized on it immediately. He stabbed his saw-sword at Zangetsu's stomach. Zangetsu tried to bring his blade back to block, but Ichigo's weapon was a bit faster. Yet his stab hit only Zangetsu's coat. The old man himself managed to twist away at the last moment. But the attack had some effect. The edge of Zangetsu got caught between the teeth of Ichigo's saw. The boy pulled. Zangetsu tried to defend, but his sword was wrenched from his grip. Ichigo sent it flying with a twist of his wrist. Then he laid his blade against Zangetsu's neck.

"I win," Ichigo declared with a grin.

"You did," Zangetsu nodded. The sword in Ichigo's hand morphed into Zangetsu's usual shape. The swords adorning the landscape disappeared.

"It was simple in the end," Kurosaki spoke. "It never mattered which sword would I use. The only thing that mattered was my resolve to fight and any of those swords would become the real Zangetsu."

"It took you long to figure it out," the sword spirit said.

"But I did it and that's what matters," Ichigo grinned. He was too happy to take Zangetsu's critique to his heart.

"Don't become too cocky," the zanpakutou spirit warned him.

"You know me," Ichigo grinned.

"Yes," Zangetsu sighed.

"So let's go save Rukia," the redhead said.

"Not so fast," Yoruichi commanded.

"What's the matter?" Ichigo asked.

"You wouldn't do her much good in your current state," the woman said.

"I'll be plenty good!" the youth protested. "I just learned Bankai!"

"That's precisely the problem," the former commander of the Onmitsukidou replied pointedly. "You just fought a tough battle. How do you feel? And don't try to tell me that good, I can see all the blood on you and you're still breathing heavily."

"I'm perfectly fine," Ichigo snapped, but Yoruichi fixed him with a hard glare. She said nothing, just stared him down, which was quite a feat considering that she was shorter than him, but she managed. It somehow made Ichigo think about how he was feeling and he realized that the answer was tired and sore all over. And the sweat that had gotten into his wounds itched like hell.

"You wouldn't save Rukia if you pass out of exhaustion," Yoruichi said. "You should take your time to rest and heal. The execution isn't until tomorrow noon, so you have the time until then. If I were you, I'd attack early in the morning, when most of the people would be still asleep. And besides, look at Renji." Ichigo obediently looked at the other redhead, who was valiantly struggling against a white baboon with a snake for its tail. "He's pretty close to achieving Bankai himself," she observed just as the snake bit Renji's forearm. "If he makes it before it's time to go, you'll have a valuable ally."

Ichigo couldn't really dispute her logic. Abarai was a strong fighter, as Ichigo had learned the hard way, and having him by his side would make everything easier, even if he didn't manage to gain Bankai in time. And maybe some of his other friends would make it in time for the party too.

"Alright," he said, "I'll wait until the morning. But not a minute longer." Yoruichi nodded.

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There were no guards in front of the door.

"That's strange," Isane observed. "There should be guards here all the time."

"Is it really so strange?" Hitsugaya asked. "We've already figured out that there is something wrong in here. This is just further proof."

Meanwhile Unohana walked to the door. "Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division requesting audience with the Central 46," she spoke. Nothing happened. She tried again, with the same result.

"What are we going to do now?" Tatsuki asked.

"Now we're going to break in," Hitsugaya announced, reaching for his sword. Kotetsu-fukutaichou looked at him in shock. He shrugged. "I'm already in trouble so it doesn't matter if I dig myself deeper."

"Tsubaki! Koten Zansshun! I reject!" Orihime cried. One of her hairpins glowed and a boomerang-like projectile sliced the door like butter.

"So you can use it properly," Tatsuki observed.

"It's just a door," the redhead shrugged.

They walked in. There were thirteen doors on the way to the Central 46. Unohana opened the fourth and Hitsugaya the tenth. The others they destroyed. Then they walked down the long staircase into the underground meeting room.

The audience hall was big and dark and seemed perfectly normal to the three shinigami. But Tatsuki gasped in shock and Orihime barely suppressed a horrified yell.

"What's wrong?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Everybody's dead," Arisawa answered.

"So much blood everywhere," Orihime added.

"Huh?" Isane blinked.

"Another illusion," Unohana stated. "Can you tell how long they are dead?"

"How do I tell?" Inoue asked. Tatsuki took a deep breath and walked to the nearest corpse.

"I'm no expert, but it seems old," she said. "The blood is completely dry. It's like dust now."

"At least several days, then," Hitsugaya concluded. "That means the orders that came from the Central 46 lately were all fake. But for what purpose? What do they need the Soukyoku for or what do they have against Kuchiki-san?"

"We should rather ask where are they now," Unohana said. "They might be still here. This is the perfect hiding place after all."

The moment she said it, the world around the three shinigami shattered into a million shards of glass. As they settled down, the real scene in the room became visible. Now even they could see the mutilated corpses of the elders.

"Excellent deduction," a new voice said. Everybody looked to the far side of the room, where a figure clad in white appeared. Everybody recognized him immediately, as their startled gasps signalized.

"Captain Aizen," Isane exclaimed, her eyes wide. Despite all the evidence they had gathered before, seeing the man alive was still a big shock.

"You shouldn't call him 'Captain' anymore," Unohana instructed her. "'Treacherous reprobate' is more fitting."

"Hello, Captain Unohana, Captain Hitsugaya," Aizen greeted, smiling slightly, acting as if this was just another casual encounter in the streets of Seireitei. "I didn't expect you until around noon. How did you figure it out so quickly?"

"You left too many clues," she replied. "It was just a matter of looking at them the right way. This is the best hiding place for somebody who wants to be considered dead, being absolutely forbidden under any circumstances. And you put a lot of effort into faking your death. The corpse doll was really ingenious. But what did you do to make it appear so real? Was it some kind of illusion? I have never encountered one such before."

"Astute as ever, Unohana-taichou," Aizen smiled. "It was indeed an illusion. The power of my zanpakutou."

"But the Kyouka Suigetsu is a flowing water-type zanpakutou," Isane said. "It distorts the sight with the reflections of the fog to confuse the enemy, causing them to fight among themselves. That is what you told us, Captain Aizen! You gathered all the vice-captains and demonstrated it in front of our eyes!" Hitsugaya remembered the demonstration. He hadn't been interested, but Momo had insisted he had to see her fabulous Captain Aizen and all but forcibly dragged him there.

"I see," Unohana frowned. "That is the ritual for the hypnosis, isn't it?"

"Close your eyes," Hitsugaya hissed, closing his own eyes.

"What?" Orihime blinked.

"Don't look at him," the young captain elaborated. "Or you'll be caught in his illusions." Both Orihime and Tatsuki closed their eyes.

"A good advice, Captain Hitsugaya," Aizen commended, "but it isn't going to help you. You've already seen it before. And seeing it once is all that's needed to fall under its power forever. And Kyouka Suigetsu's power is truly incredible. It controls the senses to such extent that it can make the target misinterpret another person's form, mass, feel and smell to be that of the enemy. In other words, you can make a dragon out of a fly or a field of flowers out of a swamp in the eyes of the hypnotized."

"Just seeing it once," Unohana muttered aloud, sounding disturbed.

"Tousen is blind," Hitsugaya stated.

"It appears you've realized it," Aizen smiled. "Since those who cannot see cannot be put under the spell of Kyouka Suigetsu, Tousen has been with me from the beginning." He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. "Allow me to commend you. You spent a long time under Complete Hypnosis examining my corpse doll. How did you realize it wasn't real?"

"It was easily apparent once it fell into pieces," Unohana answered.

"Ah," Aizen nodded. "If I'm not there to control the illusion and something unexpected happens, it might react in the wrong way."

"Now let me ask you something," Hitsugaya said. "What is this all for? You didn't murder the Central 46 and sent out false orders just for fun. It couldn't have been just because you have a thing against Kuchiki-san, could it?"

"Of course not," Aizen smiled. "But I'm not telling you just yet. Well, it's been nice talking to you." He withdrew a ribbon from his robes and spun it around. The transportation charm activated and he disappeared from the room.

"He ran," Hitsugaya said angrily.

"But where did he go?" Unohana mused. "Isane, can you track him?"

"Yes," the lieutenant said. She immediately dropped to the ground and began drawing the symbols for Bakudou #58: Kakushitsuijaku. Soon the circle on the ground began glowing brightly and symbols appeared inside it. "I have it!" Isane reported. She read a set of coordinates. "It's the Soukyoku Hill!"

"What is he doing there?" Orihime wondered.

"That's the question," Hitsugaya replied. "But he had shown interest in the execution of Kuchiki Rukia before. If we just had any idea why..."

"It doesn't matter now," Unohana said. "Isane, inform all the taichou and fukutaichou and the ryoka about Aizen. We're heading to the Soukyoku Hill."

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Rukia was sitting in her cell, wide awake. She stared outside the narrow window at the night sky. It was the last time she could watch it. Oddly enough, she felt calm. The thought of her upcoming death didn't upset her anymore. She came to accept it. She deserved it for everything she had done wrong in her life. Especially killing Kaien. And once she was dead, there would be no need for Ichigo to fight anymore. He wouldn't get hurt, he'd return home and forget all about her. She'd ask the general to send him and his friends home. She was from the nobility, sure her last request would be heeded. There was nothing to be scared of.

Was the sky getting lighter? Was the time finally approaching? Was it morning already? And why did it matter? She wasn't scared. She just wasn't. It didn't matter that it was almost morning and the guards would come to take her to the Soukyoku soon. It just didn't matter. Not a bit.

Yet her heart jumped in her chest when the door of her cell suddenly opened. Was it time already? But it was still night. She turned around and blinked. That wasn't the sight she had expected.

"Captain Aizen? What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit you," the bespectacled man replied with a smile, yet something in his expression sent chills down her spine.

"But why?" she asked cautiously.

"Why so suspicious? Do I need a reason to visit a lady? And aren't you glad to see me? You must have been lonely in here." Rukia's unease intensified.

"Why are you here?" she asked again, unconsciously taking a step back.

"Didn't I already tell you? I came to visit you," he answered walking towards her. She would have backed off, but the wall prevented her. Why was she so scared? What was there to be scared of in the kind Captain Aizen? And what reason she had to be scared when she was going to die at noon anyway? And she wasn't scared of that. She wasn't. Oh, who was she kidding. She was. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live.

While she was lost in thoughts, Aizen reached her. She startled as he grabbed her upper arm. The captain smiled when he heard her startled gasp.

"Why are you so scared?" he asked. She didn't know the answer herself. She just knew something was terribly wrong. "Let's go on a little trip now." Trip? What trip? She wanted to ask, she wanted to scream, but she couldn't. All sounds died in her throat. Aizen just smiled and dragged her out of the cell. She followed him obediently. They walked out of the door and she could see the world again, the vastness of Seireitei laid before her. It jolted some strong feeling inside her. Before she could identify it, the world around them disappeared in a blur of shunpo. When she could see clearly again, she realized they were on the top of the Soukyoku Hill.

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Ichigo jumped as a beam of red energy flew high over his head, crashed into the wall of the cave and took out a good chunk of it. His hand grabbed the hilt of Zangetsu. He had hoped to catch some rest before racing to save Rukia, because he was beat after battling Zangetsu for Bankai, but it looked like it wouldn't be possible.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted.

"Hikoutsu Taihou!" Renji shouted from the other end of the cave. "Isn't it great?"

When Ichigo looked there, he could see that the shinigami had changed. He was now wearing a washed-out brown furry pelt with a skull on it and his zanpakutou changed into a giant bone snake with a monkey's skull on its end.

"Hihiou Zabimaru," Renji said with a smile. "Isn't he great? This is how a Bankai is supposed to look like. Not a little twig like yours."

"What are you calling a twig?" Ichigo took offense. "Or do you want me to show you what Tensa Zangetsu can do?"

"Boys, calm down," Yoruichi interrupted here. "You have other enemies than each other, remember? Who would save Rukia if you kill each other?" Both redheads looked ashamed. Abarai deactivated his Bankai.

"Yes. We have to save Rukia. And now we both have Bankai, there's nothing to wait for."

"I agree." Ichigo understood that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight.

Before they could do anything else, there was a sudden ripple in the air and they heard a voice. They listened to Isane's explanation about what they found in the Central 46 and what Captain Aizen did.

"Why did she tell it to us?" Ichigo wondered. "What do Seireitei's internal affairs have to do with us?"

"Don't you get it?" Renji grinned. "If the Central 46 were dead, they couldn't have ordered Rukia's execution. So she's safe!" For a moment Ichigo enjoyed a strange feeling. On one hand he was glad that Rukia was safe. On the other he felt that it ended too soon and too easy. He really wanted to test his new Bankai on somebody.

"You don't get it," Yoruichi interrupted them. "If Aizen sent the false orders of her execution, he wants her dead. Now she's in danger!"

"Oh... crap." Ichigo summed it up.

"What are you waiting for?" Renji shouted running to the ladder. Ichigo and Yoruichi followed him.

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Ichigo, Renji and Yoruichi raced up the stairs leading up the Soukyoku Hill.

"Faster," the Goddess of Flash urged, obviously unimpressed with their speed. Ichigo and Renji just grunted. They were already going as fast as they could. Yet they tried to force their legs to go even faster.

"Yoruichi!" an enraged roar sounded. In the next moment, a black and white blur appeared and attacked the woman. She dodged, but the blur pursued her. Soon they disappeared from view.

"What was that?" Ichigo asked.

"It looked like Captain Soifon," Renji answered.

"But why is she attacking Yoruichi?" Ichigo didn't understand.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu forgot to say she's with us."

"Damn, that's bad," Ichigo frowned. "We should help her."

"What about Rukia?" Renji asked. "Yoruichi can take care of herself."

"You're right," Ichigo agreed. They raced on. After a time that seemed endless to them, they finally reached the top. They at first found themselves in a forest, but Renji immediately took off in a certain direction, Ichigo following at his heals. They arrived at a grassy plain on which the Soukyoku stood. The Terminal Duo looked as imposing as ever, but that wasn't what caught their attention. That was fully taken by the two figures standing below it. One of them Ichigo had never seen, but he recognized the haori he was wearing. The other one was Rukia.

"Aizen!" Ichigo roared, racing towards the traitorous captain. But before he could reach him, he was stopped by another figure in a white coat. Ichigo barely managed to deflect the blade aiming at his stomach. He paused for a moment, taking in his new opponent. He was a medium-height man with dark skin, black hair in dreadlocks tied in a ponytail, blank white eyes concealed behind shiny glasses and an orange scarf tied around his neck.

"Stop them, Tousen!" Aizen called. _So__this__is__the__traitorous__captain__the__fourth__Division__girl__talked__about,_Ichigo thought.

Tousen attacked Ichigo again, but the redhead blocked. Renji used the opportunity to slip past them and run towards Aizen and Rukia. But before he could reach them, another figure appeared in his path.

"Captain Ichimaru!" Abarai exclaimed in surprise.

"Hiya Renji," the silver-haired man grinned. "So ya came t' save Rukia?"

"Yes," the lieutenant answered.

"Well, I'm sorry but I can't let ya."

"What?" Renji blinked. Instead of an answer, Gin attacked. Renji barely blocked.

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Ichigo's and Tousen's swords clashed again. Ichigo tried with all his might to push the captain back, but with no success. The blind captain was a tough opponent. But not as tough as some he had fought before. He came nowhere close to Kenpachi and Ichigo had been able to fight him. And he had only gotten stronger since then, so he should be able to prevail. He just had to fight with all he had.

Ichigo jumped back and swung Zangetsu down. "Getsuga Tenshou!" he cried. The white-and-blue crescent of concentrated reiatsu separated from his blade and headed towards Tousen. Against all odds, the traitor dodged. The attack just plowed a deep scar in the ground.

"No matter what you do, you cannot pass," Tousen spoke.

"You aren't going to stop me!" Kurosaki shot back. To emphasize his words, he shot another Getsuga Tenshou as well. And once again Tousen dodged, though this time just barely.

"It seems you don't understand, ryoka," the blind man said. "You and your friends invaded Soul Society and disturbed its peace. Your presence here is against Justice." Ichigo could just hear the capital letter. "Therefore you must be destroyed!" Ichigo had just a moment to ponder about how deluded his opponent was, when it was him who betrayed the Soul Society, before Tousen decided to bring the fight up a notch.

"Cry, Suzumushi!" Ichigo's ears were assaulted by a piercing sound. For a moment, there was nothing by the inhuman shriek. Then he was kneeling on the ground, unsure where was up and down.

"You are still conscious?" Tousen observed. "I commend you on your strength. But it isn't enough to save you!" He used shunpo to appear behind Ichigo and try to take his head. But while he was speaking, Ichigo regained enough of his senses to notice the attack and block. Tousen attacked again and this time Ichigo was a little bit slow. The blade of Suzumushi cut a shallow gash in his shoulder before he could stop him. Ichigo realized that he couldn't go on the way he was now. Whatever Tousen had hit him before had taken his toll and his sense of balance and his movements were still off. He had to quickly do something to turn the odds in his favor. Fortunately he knew exactly what he could do. Reiatsu whirled around him.

"Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu."

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Renji attacked Ichimaru with all his might. It was now obvious that the permanently grinning captain was a part of Aizen's plot too and he was determined to do everything in his power to defeat him and get through to Rukia. But no matter how hard he attacked, he couldn't put a single scratch on the silver-haired man. Zabimaru extended, flailed about and tried to hit the traitor with his fangs, but either he hit empty air or the blade of Shinsou. And Ichimaru was grinning wider and wider as Renji's attacks became more furious. Was that really all he could do? Was he truly inferior to the captain? Was his dream to surpass Kuchiki Byakuya still so far off? And what was worse, was he incapable of saving Rukia? He couldn't accept that. He had to win, no matter what.

He attacked with renewed energy, but the three attacks failed to connect. Despite being used to Captain Kuchiki's speed, he could only marvel at the agility Ichimaru used to evade. Zabimaru returned to its basic state. Ichimaru smirked and disappeared in shunpo. Renji had just barely enough time to twist his body so that Ichimaru's attack only slid along his ribs. It still hurt like hell. But at least he managed to extend Zabimaru and land a glancing hit on Gin's thigh. It was little more than a scratch, but it was enough to make Ichimaru's grin falter. But it reappeared again, wider than ever.

"My, my, it looks like the monkey can bite. Well, let's see how ya can deal with this. Shoot to kill, Shinsou!"

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Tousen observed calmly as the cloud of dust and reiatsu around Ichigo settled down. Not much seemed to have changed, just Kurosaki's reiatsu rose and instead of the oversized cleaver he was now holding a long katana. Overall, it didn't look too impressive.

"You call this Bankai?" Tousen sneered. "It's too small to be a Bankai. And a mere ryoka like you cannot have Bankai. Whatever you did isn't going to help you. I am going to destroy you now."

"Destroy me?" Ichigo suddenly asked from directly behind him. Tousen had just enough time to look shocked. How did the human boy get behind him so fast? Then the sound of a blade whistling through the air brought him out of his musings. He slipped into shunpo to avoid it, but it still cut a gash across his back. And then a Getsuga Tenshou was heading for him, this one black and red and more powerful and faster than those Kurosaki had used before. He didn't manage to avoid the blast completely and the energy sent him flying. He couldn't have that. He had to defeat the invader. For Justice. For Aizen-sama.

"Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikou!" he cried, swinging his blade in a wide arc. Like some fancy special effect in a movie, countless spectral copies of Suzumushi's blade appeared in its wake. They solidified quickly and their sharp ends pointed at Ichigo. Tousen swung his zanpakutou down and the blades shot forward, converging on the redhead without fail. A dust cloud appeared when they impacted.

"It's over," Tousen stated. "You shouldn't have stood in the way of Justice, ryoka, and you might have lived longer."

"Did you say something?" Ichigo asked. Tousen's blind eyes widened in surprise. Ichigo stood just where he did before, completely unharmed. He had used the speed of his Bankai to deflect every single of the deadly projectiles, but Tousen didn't know that. But he didn't care. That invader had interfered with Aizen-sama's plan, so he had to die.

"You are good," the dark-skinned man admitted grudgingly, "but this is as far as you go. Bankai: Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kourogi!" Ichigo watched unimpressed as metallic-looking circles separated from Suzumushi's hilt and flew in all directions around them. This attack didn't look dangerous. It didn't even hit anything. In the next instant, the world disappeared.

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Renji found himself hard-pressed to avoid serious injuries. Captain Ichimaru's Shinsou was a truly dangerous weapon. When he thought he blocked it, it suddenly retracted, passed by Zabimaru's blade and then extended again, threatening to pierce him. He was forced to dodge to avoid being impaled. Yet his wounds were numerous and more and more kept appearing. That couldn't go on anymore. He had to turn the tides of the battle in his favor. Fortunately he had a way to accomplish it.

"Bankai! Hihiou Zabimaru!"

Ichimaru watched as Renji's Bankai formed. "That's quite a snake ya 'ave there," he said. It was hard to tell whether it was sarcastic or not. "But how well can ya use it?"

"You'll see," Renji stated with a smirk and sent the baboon-king for an attack. Ichimaru barely managed to dodge. Seeing that, Renji's confidence rose. He grinned even wider than his opponent and attacked again. Now it was Gin's turn to try hard to stay in one piece. Hihiou Zabimaru's attacks were fast and destructive. But as he shunpoed to dodge another one, he couldn't help but notice that they weren't aimed too well. But that was no wonder considering that Abarai's Bankai was probably a recent achievement. That was something he could take advantage of.

Renji wondered why his opponent's smile widened when he was clearly on the losing side, but considering he was dealing with Ichimaru, it was probably better not knowing the answer. Ichimaru cast Hadou #33: Soukatsui at him and there was an explosion of light as the spell hit the bone snake. _If__he__thinks__this__can__hurt__Hihiou__Zabimaru,__he__has__another__thought__coming,_Renji thought with a smirk. The smirk vanished when he realized he had lost sight of his opponent during the explosion. He jumped from his spot just in time to avoid Shinsou's blade that snaked between the coils of his sword. That had been too close for comfort. In fact, now that he looked at it, the blade did hit him, but it had happened so fast he didn't notice the gash until it started stinging. That wasn't good. He was using Bankai and he still nearly lost. He'd have to use his full power to finish off Ichimaru.

Fortunately for him, the silver-haired captain decided to stay in one place and tease him for a bit. "Did that sting, Renji kun?" he asked mockingly. Instead of an answer, the lieutenant gathered his reiatsu.

"Hikoutsu Taihou!" he shouted and a blast of red energy shot from the snake's head. Ichimaru's eyes opened in surprise, the red light reflecting in them. Then an explosion concealed him from view.

_Did__I__get__him?_Abarai wondered. He got his answer soon enough. Ichimaru appeared from the dust cloud, his clothes torn and bloody, but he didn't seem to be wounded significantly.

"That was quite good, Renji-kun," Gin said with a grin. It looked like the hit didn't bother him at all. "It looks like I'll 'ave ta take ya seriously from now on. Bankai: Kamishini no Yari." At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then suddenly Renji was lying on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds and wondering how did he end up in this position.

"Looks like I win," Ichimaru smirked.

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Ichigo stood in complete darkness and silence, wondering what was going on. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything. He couldn't smell anything. He couldn't even sense any reiatsu. Not that he was any good with it, but he could still at least feel the stronger signatures. And now there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. If he didn't still feel his body, he'd think... he wasn't sure what he'd think. He didn't know what to think now. This just wasn't natural. The only explanation he had for the occurrence was that the blind guy had done something to him. But how did he do it when he didn't even hit him? What could Ichigo do about it? And in case this really was Tousen's work, why didn't he attack him now, when he couldn't see the attack coming?

("... afraid of darkness. It's only natural, everybody is afraid of darkness. Only I, who've never seen the light, am not. My eyes see only the Path of the least Bloodshed. And you are an obstacle to this Path. Therefore you must be destroyed. For Justice and for Aizen-sama. In this darkness, I shall slay you down so..." Yes, Tousen was busy giving a lecture, uncaring that Ichigo couldn't hear it. He just loved listening to himself.)

He had to calm down. He had to come up with a plan before the other guy would decide to attack. But what could he do when he couldn't see a thing? Well, standing on a spot wasn't going to help him. Ichigo made a few steps forward. Then he stopped. He remembered he was on top of a giant cliff. What if he wandered over the edge while he couldn't see? That would be a really, really stupid way to die.

He was snapped from his musings by sharp pain suddenly blossoming on his ribs. Tousen needed a breather from his lecturing and decided to attack instead. Ichigo reflexively slashed at where he thought his opponent was, but hit only thin air. Tousen had evaded before Ichigo had even began his counterattack.

"That fear is all-encompassing, isn't it? Being attacked and not being able to see it coming. It's only natural to tremble in terror," Tousen spoke. His words fell on deaf ears. Literally. But he didn't care. He salvaged the expression on his opponent's face and attacked again.

Ichigo yelled as Tousen's blade bit into his flesh. At least he thought he had yelled. He couldn't be sure, being unable to hear it and all. Not long after the second hit a third one followed. Ichigo waved his sword where he thought the traitorous blind captain was, but hit only thin air. The sudden sensory deprivation was scarier than anything he had experienced before. He had been so confident when he had achieved his Bankai, but what good did it do him now? He didn't know where to attack. Tousen did, as proved by the pain across his back. Fortunately the wound was only shallow. That both angered and scared Ichigo. That blind bastard was just toying with him. And there was nothing he could do about it. The only times when he had an idea where his opponent was were when he was being wounded. But those moments ended too soon for him to do anything about it.

But damn it, he couldn't let that bastard just slowly cut him to ribbons. His Bankai was made for speed, so he should be able to hit him the next time he attacked. He concentrated, waiting for his opportunity. There! Tousen's zanpakutou just touched his left side! He whirled around and swung Zangetsu in a wide arc. Nothing again? He grimaced in disappointment. And he had been so sure he knew where Tousen was. At least this time the traitorous captain didn't inflict more than a scratch.

Unbeknownst to him, his attack had very nearly connected. If he had swung a bit lower, he would have cut through Tousen's arm. This way Zangetsu's blade barely touched his sleeve and passed uncomfortable close to his neck. That scared the blind captain. Victims of his Bankai should be scared out of their wits, not fighting back. But now he looked carefully, the ryoka was scared. He was just lashing out blindly. But even a blind chicken could find the grain sometimes. He'd have to finish this quickly or he might end up being hit himself.

Tousen's next attack aimed at Ichigo's neck, intending to decapitate him from behind. But the moment the blade touched the ryoka's skin, Ichigo darted forward. The blade of Suzumushi left only a shallow gash. Tousen was tempted to curse, but that was against Justice.

Ichigo stopped his dash. That had been close. He was lucky that his head hadn't been sliced off. And he was also lucky that he didn't run off the edge of the cliff. He had no idea how far it was and which direction. He shouldn't move from his spot again. But if he did nothing, he'd get killed. He'd have to take some risks if he wanted to win.

So what he could do? There must be some better way to fight that blind guy than wait for his next attack and hope to hit him. He'd just have to figure it out. So how did Tousen cut off his senses? He didn't hit him with anything, of that Ichigo was sure. The last thing he remembered before things went dark was some hoops shooting in all directions. Were the hoops what did the trick? Did they set up a perimeter that shut off the light and sound? If it was so, then there must be a way out of it. But he might wander off the edge of the cliff if he picked the wrong direction. But if he did nothing, he'd end up killed for sure, as the touch of Tousen's blade on his skin reminded him.

He dashed forward before the sword could cut deep. This time he didn't slow down and ran. He ran until he ran straight into something. He fell down, his head reeling from the impact. So he was right. He was trapped inside a barrier that blocked off his senses. Now he knew it, breaking it down shouldn't be a problem.

He climbed to his feet. He touched the barrier, to reassure himself where it was. At least his sense of touch still worked, otherwise he'd get crazy. He prepared to strike at it, but Tousen interrupted him. Ichigo was forced to dodge again. But he made sure to keep track of where the barrier was.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" He couldn't hear his own voice, but he could feel the reiatsu gathering in his blade. He swung it down, hitting the barrier while his black reiatsu still enveloped the blade. There was some resistance, but the blade of Tensa Zangetsu cut through. Light streamed through the cut. It was the only thing he could see. He waited for nothing and jumped through the hole. He found himself in the gray light of early morning. It seemed bright to him. He turned around. There behind him was a large black round structure resembling some weird tent. Before he could study it closer, it folded on itself and disappeared. It revealed Tousen standing in the middle, looking pissed.

"So you could get out of my Bankai? It isn't going to help you. For Justice, I'm going to stop you!" That rant pissed of Ichigo in turn. Now he could see his opponent again, he wasn't scared anymore. He raced towards Tousen. The blind captain noticed him at the last moment and lifted his katana to block. But the speed and power behind Ichigo's strike was too much for him. Tensa Zangetsu batted Suzumushi aside and cut deep into Tousen's chest. The blind captain collapsed.

"My, my, that was good, Ichigo," a new voice spoke. Kurosaki whirled around to stand face to face with the silver-haired captain. "I didn't think ya could beat Tousen. But I'm afraid I can't let ya get any further."

Without any warning, his sword extended. Ichigo barely saw it moving. He lifted his blade to block, but he managed only to deflect the attack a little. Kamishini no Yari cut a deep gash into his left shoulder.

"So ya could see my attack? That was good," Ichimaru spoke. His sword was as long as a knife again. Ichigo blinked. When did it retract? He didn't see it. "Let's see how you can deal with this." The captain placed his zanpakutou at his chest, letting the hilt rest against his ribs and the blade pointing towards Ichigo. "Butou!"

Kurosaki expected what was coming, but he still almost missed it. He moved Tensa Zangetsu just in time to block Kamishini no Yari's attack.

"Very good," Gin said, his grin widening, which creeped Ichigo out. "So how about this? Butourenjin!" Even knowing what was coming didn't help Ichigo this time. He concentrated all the power of his Bankai into his right arm, doing his best to block the multiple attacks. His arm hurt from moving so fast as the muscles and bones weren't accustomed to the strain. Yet every third or fourth still slipped through. Considering how many times Ichimaru fired his weapon, it was too much. Ichigo collapsed to his knees, bleeding from multiple wounds, feeling dizzy with the pain and blood loss.

"Looks like ya lose, Ichigo!" Ichimaru grinned cheerfully. That infuriated the redhead to no end. An angry roar sounded. He wasn't sure who let it out. He gathered whatever power he still had and stood up. Gin looked surprised for a moment.

"Ya can still stand? I 'ave ta do somethin' about it." He pointed Kamishini no Yari at Ichigo again. Ichigo lifted Tensa Zangetsu.

"_Kill__him!__" _somebody roared. Ichigo made a step forward, in an attempt to dash at Ichimaru. Kamishini no Yari shot forward. Ichigo made an attempt to block, but he didn't have the strength anymore. The extending blade pierced through his chest. It hurt. Somebody roared in outrage. It sounded so close, almost next to his ear. Ichimaru retracted his zanpakutou. Ichigo began falling.

"_**You**__**'**__**re**__**weak,**__**King!**__**Let**__**me**__**show**__**you**__**how**__**it**__**'**__**s**__**done!**__**" **_Ichigo's world turned black.

Ichimaru stared as the collapsing redhead suddenly stood straight. But it wasn't Kurosaki anymore. His eyes turned black with yellow pupils and a white mask slowly formed over his face. Before it disappeared from the sight completely, it grinned so terrifyingly that even Ichimaru couldn't hope to grin that way. Then it darted forward. Ichimaru's grin disappeared.

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Ichigo found himself in his familiar sideways world. What was going on? How did he end up here? He didn't remember trying to communicate with Zangetsu. And he couldn't see the old man anywhere. What was going on?

"Zangetsu?" he called. No answer, only the sound of his own voice echoed between the skyscrapers. Then he noticed something else. There was something wrong with the sky. Usually it looked like a regular blue sky with fluffy white clouds, but this time it was different. It was red and it wasn't the red of a sunset or sunrise. It was red like freshly spilled blood and there were heavy black thunderclouds threatening to start a storm any minute. It looked frightening and incredibly wrong. Ichigo knew that something very bad had just happened. But what was it and what could he do about it? He didn't know, but he was determined to find out.

The feeling that something was wrong intensified. It was urgent now. He felt like he was missing on something important. And then it hit him. The fight! The last thing he could remember he had been fighting Ichimaru and losing. Crap. Was that why the sky was red? Was it because he was wounded and dying? Or was it something else? Whatever it was, it meant he had no time to laze around his Inner World. He had to get out and rejoin the battle.

But when he tried, he found out that he couldn't. There was something blocking him. He tried again, harder. He got a glimpse of the outside world. He was still fighting and he was tossing Ichimaru around. The silver-haired captain was bleeding and just barely evading his attacks. What did it mean? When did the tides of the battle turn? And how could he be fighting Ichimaru when he was stuck here?

And then realization struck. He remembered the angry voice he had heard before he had ended up here and the white face that was a twisted image of his own. It was that Hollow thingy fighting. It had taken control of his body. And though he was grateful to it for dealing with Ichimaru, he couldn't let that bloodthirsty maniac stay in control. There was no telling what he would do. He had to regain control of himself and save Rukia.

With that thought, he began wrestling the Hollow for control.

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Soifon was getting desperate. No matter what she did, she couldn't defeat Yoruichi. She had called on her soldiers, only for Yoruichi to dispatch them in an instant. She had fought the woman herself, but all she could manage were a few glancing blows. And after a century of nothing but training she should have been able to do more! This was the opportunity she had been waiting for! The traitorous woman had finally shown up back in Seireitei! She had to show her what kind of mistake it was! So she had released Suzumebachi to finally show that she had surpassed her master. She ignored the traitorous part of her brain that told her that Yoruichi had no zanpakutou and fought. Yet all she could do was place several Houmonka on the traitor. She couldn't place the second, finishing hit. So with all other options spent, she had activated her newest, yet unnamed technique. With that boost of power, Yoruichi should have stood no chance. Yet to her utter shock, it turned that Yoruichi could perform the same technique over a hundred years ago and she was much better with it than her. What followed was a complete and utter humiliation for the current Onmitsukidou commander. She felt just like a hundred years ago, when she had been just a young girl worshipping at the feet of a goddess. And no matter how hard she tried, she realized that just like a century ago, she couldn't hate the noble and powerful being in front of her. And just like a young girl, she felt tears welling in her eyes. She collapsed to her knees, unable to hold the onslaught of emotions back any longer. They all concentrated into one sentence said with tearful eyes and desperate voice:

"Why didn't you take me with you?" Yoruichi didn't answer.

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Rukia watched in terror as Ichigo changed in front of her eyes. In place of the kind, bratty boy she had come to know, now stood a monster. A bloodthirsty monster with its face covered by a Hollow's mask and cruel yellow eyes glowing in its eyeholes. Even his reiatsu was different now, more like a Hollow than a shinigami. Just what was going on? If she hadn't seen the mask forming, she wouldn't believe it was really Ichigo. But it was and she couldn't deny it, no matter how much she wanted to. What had happened? How did it happen? Even with the proof in front of her eyes, she couldn't believe it was really Ichigo. Her Ichigo would never act like this. Was he perhaps possessed? Like Kaien had been? The memory brought tears into her eyes. She couldn't bear if that was the case. She hoped beyond hope that Ichigo would recover, that he would be alright. It seemed unlikely, but she still clung to her hope. There was nothing else left for her.

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Ichimaru cursed. He had no idea how did it happen, but what should have been an easy victory quickly turned into a losing battle. The masked berserk form of Kurosaki Ichigo was avoiding Kamishini no Yari seemingly effortlessly and was attacking him with fervor unseen before. More and more wounds were appearing on the captain's body. Gin's attempts at defense were swatted away mercilessly. He looked over his shoulder where Aizen was standing, holding Rukia by her collar and smiling slightly in the deceptively gentle way of his. He looked mildly amused by the display. The silver-haired man wondered whether Aizen would help him or whether he'd let berserk Ichigo kill him and smile the whole time. With Aizen Sousuke, there was no telling. No, Ichimaru couldn't count on his help. He'd have to help himself. But how? If he really tried, he could still wound Ichigo, but those were mere scratches. Nothing that would even slow him down. He'd have to use Kamishini no Yari's poison to deal any significant damage. But could he afford to show it to Aizen? The man would become suspicious of him if he'd realize Gin had been hiding an ability like this. Not to mention that he didn't want to reveal his trump card until after he had already used it for its intended purpose.

The moment of inattention cost him. Hollow Ichigo lunged and tried to slice him in half. Ichimaru tried to dodge, but all that he accomplished was turning a fatal blow into merely a serious one. He cursed inwardly. He was unable to dodge the next attack in this state. And one look at Aizen showed him that the man wasn't going to help him. He'd have to save himself, because he'd be unable to accomplish his goals dead. He prepared to use Kamishini no Yari's true power.

But then he paused. Ichigo wasn't attacking. Instead, he was holding his head in his hands and howling as if he was in pain. What was going on? Well, being as knowledgeable as he was, Ichimaru had an idea what was going on. It looked like he wouldn't have to reveal his ace in the hole just yet. He wondered whether Ichigo would overcome his Hollow side or not. He also wondered whether he should use his distraction to attack. On one hand, it was probably his best opportunity. On the other hand, the danger might cause Ichigo's Hollow side to prevail and that would be bad for him. And he didn't want to kill Kurosaki yet. The boy might prove useful in the future if he continued improving at this rate. But maybe just disabling him now would be the best course of action?

Before he reached a decision, Ichigo's howling became more articulate. "..won't... I won't... let you... no!...you... don't..." Then Ichigo slammed the hilt of Tensa Zangetsu to his mask. It shattered. One more strike and the mask was completely gone. Ichigo's eyes regained their original brown color. Ichimaru exhaled in relief, but not too obviously.

"Sorry about him," the boy said. He didn't sound too apologetic. "Now, shall we finish this?" Ichimaru nodded. Both combatants straightened up, gathering whatever strength they had left for the battle.

Ichigo moved first. He charged forward, Tensa Zangetsu's blade glowing with the black Getsuga Tenshou. Ichimaru sprang to action a fraction of a second later. Kamishini no Yari extended. Ichigo moved slightly. The extending blade merely grazed him before it retracted again. By that time Ichigo was close enough to attack. Tensa Zangetsu swung down just as Kamishini no Yari extended for the second time. The two blades met with a loud clang. Their wielders, carried by their momentum, continued onward. Two dozen paces later, they stopped.

Ichigo stood, doing his best to keep from screaming or keeling over. Blood was flowing from his side and seeping into his black shihakushou. Ichimaru's blade had pierced him through. Fortunately it looked like it didn't hit anything vital. At least Ichigo hoped so. Though he had grown up on a clinic, he wasn't all that good with anatomy. He should remedy that. Knowing what to hit and what wounds to avoid would come in handy in a fight. If he just could find some time to spare for study between fighting.

Ichimaru looked down at his body. There was a big, gaping wound when Kurosaki's Getsuga Tenshou hit him at close range. There wasn't nearly as much pain as there should be, but...

"Ya got me good," he grinned before collapsing to the ground. His legs no longer had the strength to carry him.

Ichigo sighed in relief. So he won. And even his wound was hurting a little less now. He was still able to fight. Which was good before there was still one enemy left. He turned to Aizen, who stood a good distance away, holding the trembling Rukia and smiling like he was just watching some amusing movie. It was infuriating. The redhead growled.

"Let go of Rukia, you bastard."

"As you wish," Aizen smiled and let the girl drop onto the grass. Ichigo blinked. He certainly hadn't expected that. What was going on? Then he realized that Aizen wasn't standing behind Kuchiki anymore. Where...

He whirled around, lifting Tensa Zangetsu to block the attack coming from behind. Too slow. Kyouka Suigetsu sliced deep into his torso. He couldn't keep upright anymore.

"Do me a favor and stay there," Aizen said kindly. His voice was so completely at odds with what he was doing that Ichigo jerked upright, trying to look at the traitor in surprise. It only aggravated his wound and he collapsed again.

"You might live a bit longer if you don't move," Aizen suggested in a concerned tone. Ichigo growled. _Bastard,_he wanted to say, but it came out as a series of gurgles and coughs. The traitorous captain had dismissed him from his attention already. He walked towards his two subordinates instead.

"How did you end up beaten so badly?" he asked.

"S'rry, Aizen-taichou," Ichimaru grinned. "Da kid's good."

"My apologies, Aizen-sama," Tousen tried to bow while lying on the ground. The result was quite comical, but nobody who witnessed it felt like laughing. "This demon knows nothing about Justice." Ichigo mused what did it have to do with Tousen losing. Aizen didn't deign it worthy of an answer. He instead walked back to Rukia slowly. She tried to scramble away. He caught her quickly and lifted her by the collar.

"Now get up, Kuchiki Rukia," he said, probably just to hear the sound of his own voice. Rukia seemed to be completely paralyzed by fear and hung limply in his grip. Ichigo tried to get up and stop that bastard, but he could barely lift his head. "You're still conscious?" Aizen said with disinterest. "You must really hate the fact that your strength doesn't match the level of your vitality. Though it would be best to stop that recklessness. Right now, you're nearly cut in half. If you move, you'd only damage your body further." Somehow, he managed to sound almost concerned. "It's not a matter of spirit, it's physically impossible. Look on the bright side. You've been quite helpful already." Ichigo wondered just how this was supposed to be the bright side. "Just lay there quietly until you pass on. Your mission is over."

"You... said... mission?" Ichigo rasped. It was quite hard to speak with a hole in his lungs.

"Yes," Aizen answered like he was talking to a particularly slow child. "All along, I knew you would come and I knew the point of entry. I knew you would appear in the West Rukongai, therefore I dispatched regular patrols in the vicinity, so that the Seireitei walls would be lowered immediately after you arrived. Then I sent the Third and the Ninth Divisions to the inside of the wall and sent Gin to keep you out. If you thought there was a captain patrolling on the other side, the only perceivable method of entry would be through Shiba Kuukaku's canon. That would result in a dramatic entrance of invaders who had survived a fight against a captain. Therefore all the Seireitei shinigami would inevitably focus their attention on you." Then the traitor smiled. "The actual invasion was truly phenomenal. Thanks to you, even when a captain was murdered, it didn't seem like that big of a deal in comparison. It was really easy to make our moves." Aizen looked like smugness personified by now.

"But somebody noticed," Ichigo said.

"It's merely a minor inconvenience," Aizen shrugged. "They cannot stop us now."

"H..how did you know we'd land in West Rukongai?" Ichigo asked. He could understand all other points of Aizen's explanation, but this one completely baffled him.

"That's an odd question," Aizen stated, looking honestly puzzled himself. "Was there any other possibility? Urahara Kisuke's referential location was in West Rukongai. So the only place he could take you was there."

"What?" How did Aizen know about Urahara? He was just some shopkeeper. Or was he? Hat and Clogs had some secrets, that much was the redhead certain of.

"Why are you making this face? Aren't you his subordinate?" That question asked in a completely serious voice made Ichigo burst with laughter. But it quickly dissolved into a coughing fit thanks to his injuries. "Didn't you come here to take Kuchiki Rukia because Urahara Kisuke ordered you to?" That made Ichigo pause. No matter how laughable the idea of him obeying Urahara was, it brought the question of why Aizen thought he did. And why would Urahara want Rukia? She was his customer, but he couldn't be possibly making that much money on her, could he? It just made no sense. He was missing something important here.

"What... the... hell?" was the only thing he could ask in the end.

"I see you didn't know anything," Aizen sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed. "That's fine. Since it's all over, I will tell you about it. Do you know about shinigami's four basic forms of combat?" Aizen launched into an explanation of the powers and how they all had their limits. "Is there no way to break the boundary?" he asked rhetorically. "Is there no way to grow and surpass your innate limitation?" He was sounding really excited. "There is, but there is only one way. And that is a shinigami-Hollow hybrid."

Ichigo startled as he remembered the creature dwelling inside him. Sure, it had given him immense strength, but how could anybody possibly want that? That thing had completely taken control of him. It was just plain evil.

"Hollow-shinigami, shinigami-Hollow," Aizen continued, "when the boundary between shinigami and Hollow is removed, you can create a new existence capable of achieving new heights. The concept has existed in theory for a long time. I focused at shinigami-Hollows and I have successfully created several Hollows that were close to shinigami. Hollows that could hide their reiatsu," Renji gasped, "Hollow that could make zanpakutou disappear and even fuse with shinigami," Rukia gasped, "but all of them were trash and not worthy to be called breakthroughs. Other researchers are bound by stupidity and morality, so no-one has ever made any sort of breakthrough either. Expect Urahara Kisuke." Aizen paused for a moment to let the information sink. "He created the substance that reacts beyond the conventional physics of Soul Society. It can instantly dissolve the barrier between Hollow and shinigami. The name of that substance is Hougyoku. It is an extremely dangerous material. Urahara probably thought so too, because he tried to destroy the Hougyoku. However, he could not find a way to destroy his own creation. So in desperation, he did something else. That was, he put a barrier around the Hougyoku and buried it deep within a person's soul. Figured it out yet?"

Ichigo stared at Rukia. So that was why everybody wanted her.

"The place he chose to hide it in was you, Kuchiki Rukia," Aizen announced, turning to his captive. "By the time I discovered this, you were already stationed in the Living World. I knew intuitively that that was all Urahara Kisuke's doing." Remembering the eccentric shopkeeper, Ichigo felt that it was giving Getaboushi too much credit. Yet there was a sliver of doubt. What if Urahara really was some kind of shadowy mastermind? It sounded ridiculous, but the word 'ridiculous' was practically invented to describe Urahara. "A gigai is made of high-density spiritual matter and it's used to temporarily contain a recovering shinigami. Therefore, it is usually very easy for Soul Society to locate gigai. Yet they lost track of a shinigami after she entered a gigai? That should be impossible. However, he developed a kind of substance that did not contain spiritual matter. The higher-ups weren't happy when they found out. And that wasn't everything. That particular type of gigai caused the spiritual power of the shinigami inside it to deteriorate." Rukia gasped again. "So the shinigami that entered the gigai could never recover her spiritual power. Their control of the gigai would become dull and eventually they would lose all of their spiritual power. And then change from shinigami into a normal human spirit. Don't you see? He wasn't trying to help you. He was actually making you human so that he could hide the Hougyoku forever. Oya? You look troubled."

_You__noticed__only__now?_Ichigo thought angrily. He was frantically thinking of a way out of this. His body still hurt like hell, but he thought he might be able to move now. He could try a surprise attack against Aizen and then what? He wouldn't have the strength to finish the traitor off, escape or carry Rukia to safety. He'd need some help, but Renji didn't look any better than him. Yoruichi was off fighting that female captain. He had no idea where his other friends were. He could only hope that somebody from Soul Society would show up soon. Though Isane's message must have woken them, they should be out of their beds and on the way by now. He just had to wait for the right opportunity.

"Fortunately, you were discovered a few months later," Aizen continued. "I immediately went to the Central 46 and killed them. Isane-kun probably said that I did it after I faked my death, but that's not true. I butchered the Central 46 as soon as I found you and then used Kyouka Suigetsu in the Central 46 room to create the illusion that they were holding a meeting in case somebody walked in, so they wouldn't notice anything wrong." _Good__to__hear__what__your__zanpakutou__ability__is,_Ichigo thought. "However, without the permission of somebody inside, not even captains might enter the conference room, so the three of us took turns staying inside to play the role of Central 46 and advance our goals. To ensure your capture, I assigned the task of your retrieval to those two of the Sixth Division. To keep you from becoming a human, I ordered immediate destruction of the gigai. As to completely evaporate your soul so that I could retrieve the Hougyoku, I intended to use the Soukyoku. But unsealing it now would take too much time. Fortunately when I've been in the conference room after I feigned my death, I had plenty of times to research other possibilities of retrieving the Hougyoku in case you managed to stop the execution. When Urahara developed the sealing process, he developed a way to reverse it as well and there were records of it in the Central 46 archives. There are records of everything and I needed complete access to them for a long period of time. That was another reason why the Central 46 had to die. So this is the procedure."

Something started happening. Pillars rose from the ground around where Aizen and Rukia stood, forming a circle. Reiatsu surged. Energy appeared around Aizen's right hand. Ichigo realized that now might be a good opportunity for a sneak attack, but he could only stare in fascination. Besides, there seemed to be some kind of barrier around Aizen. There was no way he'd get through it in his current state. In the next moment, Aizen was going to rip something out of Rukia's soul. He failed his mission. He felt like utter trash.

He could only watch helplessly as Aizen thrust his hand into Rukia's chest. He seemed to be searching for something for a second before withdrawing his hand. There was something in his palm. A small crystal box containing a dark orb inside. Aizen surveyed it carefully, letting Rukia fall down with a gaping hole in her chest. "What a surprise," he said. It's awfully small."

Ichigo wasn't interested in whether that thing was tiny or huge. He could only stare as Rukia collapsed to the ground. Dead. No, wait, the wound was disappearing. She was breathing. So there was still a chance! And now Aizen was preoccupied with studying the Hougyoku. It looked like the best opportunity he was going to get. He gathered his strength and began slowly pushing his body up.

"So this is the Hougyoku," Aizen said, looking at it like it was his long-lost first love. Then he suddenly stopped speaking and whirled around. There was something... no somebody there, approaching fast. The already cool morning air around them chilled further as the newcomer fired his attack. Aizen shunpoed out of the way of the fast approaching ice dragon. Ichigo recognized his opportunity.

He scrambled to his feet and gripped Tensa Zangetsu tightly. He had trouble standing, but not so much as he feared. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Renji pushing himself up too, struggling not to be outdone.

Aizen turned to the attacker, a boy with wings of ice, who was already sending another ice dragon at him. But at the same time a hundred lightning rods came flying at him from the other direction. He whirled around and called: "Bakudou #81: Dankuu!" A transparent slab formed between him and the approaching spell. The rods of light hit it harmlessly. He then quickly drew his katana to block the oncoming ice dragon. He was almost too slow. His right hand was occupied holding the Hougyoku and his left could be only on so many places at once. But he withstood the attack without any damage, only his clothing was slightly frosted.

Something appeared from behind the edge of the cliff. It was huge, green and it had one big eye. It looked like some giant flying manta ray. Four figures sat on its back. The one in the front, wearing a captain's haori, Ichigo didn't recognize. The one next to her, a tall one with silver hair, he didn't know either. The two behind them he couldn't mistake for anything. Tatsuki and Orihime! So they were alright! But with Aizen here, it might not remain so for long. He had to do something to help stop Aizen. He gathered whatever reiryoku he still had left to his sword. He was going to have only one shot for this, so he couldn't afford to miss.

"Aizen-sama!" Tousen shouted, getting up despite his injuries, intending to help his master. Renji tackled him. They both fell to the ground.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji commanded.

"Cry, Suzumu..." The blind traitor didn't finish the release command. Zabimaru cut into his hand, severing tendons and forcing him to let go of his zanpakutou. Renji pulled on his weapon, making the spikes cut into Tousen's body painfully. The dark-skinned man screamed. Then the lieutenant slumped, his weapon returning to its sealed form. His strength was completely spent. Tousen wasn't any better off. They both remained sprawled on the ground motionlessly.

Aizen shunpoed from his spot. Hitsugaya continued his attack at the empty space. _What__is__he__doing?_ Ichigo wondered. Couldn't he see that his target wasn't there anymore?

"There!" It was faint, but it sounded like Tatsuki's voice. Unohana and Isane fired another spell according to the girl's directions.

"Bakudou #63: Sajo Sabaku!" the golden chains flew towards the traitorous captain, who didn't wait for them to hit. He dodged and appeared behind Hitsugaya.

"Behind you!" Orihime screamed, but the boy didn't react. He continued attacking the empty space Aizen had vacated long ago. Aizen smirked victoriously and Kyouka Suigetsu fell down. In the same moment, Ichigo swung Tensa Zangetsu and released the Getsuga Tenshou at the traitor. A triangular golden shield appeared in the path of Aizen's sword. It shattered under the strength of his blow. Kyouka Suigetsu continued on its path at Hitsugaya's back, barely slowed down. It cut through the ice armor at the boy's back and didn't stop until it cut deep into the flesh. Ice spread from the wound, enveloping Aizen's sword and his hand. Hitsugaya's ice tail flailed about, hitting Aizen's legs. The bespectacled traitor lost his footing, but refused to let go of his sword. Then he gave a shake to his sword, pushing his reiryoku into it, and the ice trapping it shattered. But it took him too long. Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou reached its target.

There was an explosion of black energy as the attack slammed into Aizen. It lasted for a few seconds before it died down. Ichigo watched it on his knees, panting. He had no more strength to stay upright. Even kneeling was too exhausting. Minazuki hovered close to the explosion, her mistress already chanting an incantation.

"Bakudou #73: Tozanshou!" she called just as the cloud of reiatsu began dissipating. An upside-down blue pyramid appeared around it, trapping everything inside. That included Aizen. The traitorous captain appeared kneeling on the ground, signed by Ichigo's attack. He stood up, ready to break free.

"Bakudou #79: Kuyou Shibari!" Unohana called. Eight black holes appeared around Aizen. The traitor shunpoed, but the Tozanshou prevented him from getting far away. At least the ninth black hole didn't appear in the middle of his chest. But the draining effect from the spell was still noticeable. He had to break out soon, because Unohana wasn't idle. He swung Kyouka Suigetsu with all his might, shattering the blue barrier of the Tozanshou. Then he jumped through the hole. It was just in time. He barely avoided the spiritual fabric of Bakudou #99: Kin that Unohana cast in the middle of the Tozanshou.

"Shunkou!" The yell alerted Aizen to the fact that he still wasn't out of danger right before a dark foot enveloped with lightning slammed into his chest. The force behind the kick sent him crashing right through the remains of the Tozanshou. As he landed, Soifon appeared next to him, placing her sword to his neck.

"You're trapped," she stated. Aizen just smirked.

"Aizen-taichou! You're alive!" a loud shout sounded. Soifon could just look in surprise as the small figure of Hinamori Momo slammed into them, sending them rolling on the ground. She lost her grip on the traitor in the process. Now Hinamori was holding on him. "Aizen-taichou!" she called again, happiness obvious in her voice.

"Bakudou #63: Hyapporankan!" Unohana called.

"Bakudou #61: Rikujoukourou!" Isane added. Aizen barely had the time to shunpo away. Hinamori hanging on him hindered his movements significantly.

"Sorry, Hinamori-kun," Aizen said before slamming the hilt of Kyouka Suigetsu to her head. The girl slumped to the ground unconscious. For a moment, he debated finishing her off, but if she was so glad to see him even after hearing Isane's message, she might still prove useful. If not, she was too weak to be any real trouble.

"There he is!" Tatsuki pointed at him again.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura," Kuchiki-taichou announced his arrival. Aizen grimaced. It was getting crowded here. And more people were on their way. Fortunately he didn't have to stay here for much longer. The morning sky above them was already beginning to distort. Just as he felt Kyouraku and Ukitake reach the platform to join the fray, the Garganta opened. All the assembled taichou paused when they saw the Gillian peeking out of it. He could hear their alarmed shouts everywhere. He smiled. Soon, they were going to have a real cause for alarm. Then the Negación came down. He, Tousen and Ichimaru were enveloped in beams of golden light which carried them up.

"Get back down, you cowards!" somebody shouted. Lieutenant Iba. He just arrived along with Captain Komamura.

"Back off." Yamamoto. Dressed in his nightclothes with his haori draped over it. Aizen couldn't suppress a smile. If the old codger didn't bother with his regalia, he might have come in time to stop him. But this way he was too late and they both knew it. "The moment the Negación was cast down, they are in a separate dimension. They are out of our reach."

"Tousen!" Komamura bellowed. He too was in his nightclothes, he only put his helmet on. "Why are you doing this? Where is your justice now?" The blind man didn't answer. He wasn't in the state to say anything. And neither was Ichimaru. Aizen suppressed a grimace. This wasn't the triumphal exit he had planned or even the quiet stealthy one. It looked almost like a hasty escape. He was going to pay back to those who had forced him to this. But other than appearances, it didn't really matter. He had the Hougyoku and he was ascending to the higher plane of existence. It was a success.

"What are you trying to do?" Ukitake shouted. Aizen noted that he was wearing his full uniform, as was Kyouraku. Interesting. Everybody else seemed to be dragged out of bed.

"To go higher," Aizen answered, dismissing the thoughts about the shinigami's state of dress from his mind. It was of no consequence to him.

"Have you fallen in the process, Aizen?" Ukitake questioned.

"You are too arrogant, Ukitake," Aizen sneered. "No-one starts on the top of the world. Not you, not me. Not even gods." He removed his glasses and crushed them in his palm. "But the unbearable vacancy on the throne in the sky is over. From now on, I will be sitting on it. Goodbye, shinigami. And goodbye, young ryoka. For a human, you are really interesting." Then they disappeared inside the Garganta and it closed behind them.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime shouted jumping from Minazuki's back. Tatsuki raced after her. "Shun'ou, Ayame, Souten Kisshun! I reject!" the redheaded girl called upon reaching the wounded boy. The golden shield enveloped him, slowly making his wounds disappear. Unohana made her way to the wounded Hitsugaya and Isane began taking care of Renji's injuries. All around them, questions erupted.

"What did happen?" "Did Aizen really align himself with the Hollows?" "Tousen, why?" "What's going to happen now?" "Where's the Fourth Squad? There are wounded here!" "Taichou! Are you alright, taichou?"

"Where's the fight?" Zaraki arrived on top of the platform a bit too late, looking around for the already departed traitors.

"This way!" Yachiru pointed a random direction. Kenpachi took off.

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><p>End note: End of chapter 5. Liked it? Hated it? Let me know.<p> 


	6. Calm between storms

**Author's**** note: ** To all who had already lost hope: the new chapter is finally here! I'm sorry it took so long. I blame it on a writer's block combined with a drop in motivation. To make up for the delay, this is the longest chapter yet. Probably the longest chapter ever. If it was any longer, I'd have to split it in two. Also I promise the next few chapters will be published sooner. I've prewritten quite a lot, so it won't be a problem.

There is also an illustration for this chapter, you can find it on my DeviantArt profile, the link is on my author's profile page.

Now enough ranting, on to the story.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**The Importance of the Name – Calm between storms**

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"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said with teary eyes, pouring more energy into her Souten Kisshun. Despite all the practice she had done during her stay in Seireitei, Ichigo's wounds weren't closing as fast as she wished. Though she had improved significantly since she had reattached Jidanbou's arm, it didn't seem to be enough considering how serious Kurosaki's condition was. There was so much blood. So many cuts and so many of them too deep. And some of them still bleeding. Beneath her glowing shield, Ichigo lay on his back, his eyes closed, but from the strain on his face she could tell that he was still in pain.

"I'm going to heal you," she said, more to reassure herself than him. "I am strong enough." If Ichigo heard her, he didn't show it. That didn't improve Orihime's mood any.

"You can do it," Tatsuki said, laying a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "You're strong and you're improving."

"I don't know if it is enough," Orihime replied. "He's still bleeding. I feel like I can do nothing."

"What are you talking about?" Tatsuki scowled. "You already did a lot." Inoue remained silent, her face sad. Tatsuki sighed and started naming Orihime's feats. "You killed the Hollow that possessed our classmates. Even I wasn't able to kill it. Then you healed Jidanbou. You saved me when that big guy attacked us. If it wasn't for your shields, he would have cut us into ribbons. Then you figured out we should dress up as shinigami so we weren't attacked after that. And then you revealed that that Aizen guy's corpse was fake. If you didn't, he would have more time for his sinister plans and who knows what would have happened then. So are you still going to tell me that you didn't do enough?"

"Nothing of that would matter if I can't heal Kurosaki-kun," Orihime replied.

"You can do it," Tatsuki reassured her. "After what you already did, you can do this too."

"I wish I had your confidence, Tatsuki-chan," Inoue replied with a small smile.

"I think that's your main problem," the dark-haired girl said. "You have little self-confidence. We have to work on this. You could do so much more if you didn't hesitate beforehand, wondering whether you can do it."

"You think so?"

"Yes," Tatsuki nodded with conviction.

"I don't know," Orihime bit her lower lip. "I don't have enough experience."

"Then gain some," her friend suggested.

"How?"

"Heal more people, of course," Tatsuki rolled her eyes.

"But that would mean that people would get hurt first," Inoue pointed out. "I don't want people to get hurt."

Tatsuki considered it for a moment. "You know what?" she said when she made up her mind. "They have a hospital here. So once you finish with Ichigo, go there and offer your help. There should be plenty wounded for you to practice on. So the next time Ichigo runs off like an idiot and gets himself hurt, you'll be able to fix him in no time."

Orihime looked up, pondering Tatsuki's suggestion. "That sounds good. That way I can make up for the mess we made here."

"Don't think of it as our mess," Tatsuki admonished her. "It's Aizen's mess. And Urahara's," she added after a momentary pause.

"But we fought them. We beat up that big man with the necklace," Inoue objected.

"But we wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for Aizen's manipulations. Every drop of blood spilled in the last three days stains his hands."

"I just can't see it that way," Orihime replied.

"Well, I see it that way. Aizen is the guilty one, so you shouldn't worry."

"I'll try," she said. Then she concentrated only on healing.

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Byakuya watched as his little sister sat on the grass, staring intently at where one of the ryoka girls was healing the red-headed ruffian who had taken her power. His face was impassive, but inside him was raging a whole storm of emotions. It was so wild that maintaining a calm facade was taking all his strength. But he didn't think even for a moment about giving in; as a nobleman he was required to maintain a certain image and he wouldn't soil it for any reason, not even this one. And what a reason it was. He closed his eyes and remembered how did he get here.

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The sky was getting lighter. He couldn't see it from inside the candle-lit room, but he knew it nevertheless. It was going to be morning soon. And then it will be time to go. He felt a pang at this thought. His face betrayed nothing of it. Even here, in the privacy of the shrine, he didn't dare to drop his stoic facade. He felt that if he did so, he would be never able to put it on again. And he was going to need it. Especially today. Because today was the day he was going to break his oath.

It wasn't his fault. It really wasn't. It was Rukia who had broken the law and it was the Central 46 that had punished her for it. He had done all he could. Or did he? Maybe he could have prevented Rukia's assignment in the Living World. Maybe he could have instilled how important it was to always obey the law better. Maybe.

And maybe he had been doomed from the start. He had heard somewhere that if somebody made two oaths, then sooner or later there will come a time when he would have to break one of them. He had thought that it was stupid. An honorable man could always keep all his promises and Kuchiki Byakuya considered himself honorable. Now he came to understand that person's wisdom. Who was it who said it? Or did he read it in a book somewhere? It didn't matter. What mattered was that exactly as that man had predicted, his two oaths became contradictory. He could either follow the law as he had sworn on his parents' graves or he could save Rukia as he had promised to his beloved Hisana. Either way he was doomed.

It was tearing him apart. A part of him wanted to race to the Senzaikyuu, free Rukia and run somewhere far away. Another part of him reminded him that he mustn't soil the Kuchiki honor and reputation worse that it already was. He couldn't decide which one of them was right so he just sat in front of the shrine of his dead wife and did nothing. And he hated himself for that.

And then he heard Kotetsu-fukutaichou's message. Never before in his life had he felt so relieved. So Rukia's sentence wasn't valid. He knew exactly what to do now. He slipped into his fastest shunpo and raced towards Soukyoku Hill. He knew exactly what to do now. He was going to make the traitorous Aizen pay for endangering Rukia and putting him into so much anguish over it.

It didn't go quite as planned, but that was a matter better left for another time. Rukia was safe and that was what counted. The question was what should he do now. He wanted to tell her everything, to finally shed the burden weighting him down, so that maybe they finally could be happy and Rukia wouldn't be scared of him anymore. But he had given his word and his word was everything to him. He couldn't break his promise, no matter how much it hurt him. No matter how much it hurt Rukia. He cursed the day he gave his word. But it was too late to do anything about it. But he could at least attempt to be nice to make up for it.

With that thought he headed over to Rukia.

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Rukia was kneeling next to Ichigo's body, watching his sleeping face through the golden glow of Orihime's mysterious healing shield. When did the girl learn to do that anyway? And when did everybody became so strong? She had left the Living World less than a month ago and she already felt like she had missed years.

She wanted to touch him to make sure that he was real, but she didn't dare to disrupt Orihime's technique. The boy was seriously wounded. Because of her.

She closed her eyes in pain. She still found it unbelievable that somebody would risk so much to save her. Yet they did. Ichigo, Orihime, Tatsuki, Chad, Ishida (this one she really didn't understand) and Renji. She looked to where Kotetsu-fukutaichou was working on her oldest friend. She wanted to come over to him and see how he was doing, but the Fourth Division members mingling around him had told her not to get underfoot if she wanted them to heal Abarai. So she stayed with Ichigo. Orihime didn't tell her to go away.

"Rukia." The voice was quiet, but it came so suddenly that it nearly made her jump anyway. She turned around in a rush.

"Nii-sama," she said, trying to calm her racing heart. It just wouldn't do to look distressed and not perfectly composed in front of her brother. Not that she could look composed and dignified dressed only in a simple white yukata, wrinkled, spotted by grass and blood, with the prisoner's collar still around her neck. What was Byakuya going to say now? Was he going to reprimand her for staining the pride of the Kuchiki? She braced herself for the cold and condescending look he was sure to give her. But as she raised her sight towards his face, she was surprised to see none of it there. Instead... what was it she saw in his eyes? A question? Concern? For their family reputation? Or for her? Bah, not a chance. This was Byakuya. And she wasn't good enough at reading his expression to determine what he was feeling even after over four decades of practice.

She got to her feet and bowed. It always helped to be apologetic when he reprimanded her. It didn't stop him, but it didn't add further charges to her lists of offenses against the Kuchiki code of conduct either.

"Are you well?" She blinked in surprise. Did she hear it right? Was Byakuya really inquiring about her state of health and mind? It wasn't something he did often. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time he had asked. She was so shocked she forgot to answer.

"Well?" Byakuya prompted, sounding a tiny bit impatient. That was unusual too. He usually took greater care to purge all signs of emotion from his voice.

"Yes, nii-sama," the girl answered. She felt no need to explain to him just how exactly did she feel. She didn't believe he was really interested. And even if he were, just how would she describe what is it like to lose all her power, be imprisoned, sentenced to death, then kidnapped from prison, fought over, learn about some super-powerful gizmo sealed inside her, have said gizmo stolen and see her friends who had tried to rescue her cut down in front of her eyes? Friends that were still bleeding all over the ground as they were talking? There was just no way the Kuchiki lord would understand. She doubted that there was anybody who would really get how she felt.

Byakuya looked at her like he didn't buy her answer (it was quite an obvious lie, she had to admit), but he didn't call her on it. She was grateful for the small mercy.

"Shall we go now?" Not 'Let's go.' Not 'Come.' It sounded like a genuine question and not the order it probably was. Rukia knew that she should obey, but after everything she had been through she didn't feel her usual level of fear towards her adoptive brother. Either he wasn't as scary as Aizen or she was just out of fear. Therefore she dared to actually question his command.

"I'd rather stay," she spoke, her eyes darting towards Ichigo for an instant. She immediately felt shocked by her own bravado. What would Byakuya do now? He must be very angry about her disobedience. But the anger never came. Instead he just studied her quietly for a while. That delay made Rukia even more anxious. Then Byakuya spoke.

"As you wish," he said flatly and turned around. She watched him go. As his white haori disappeared in the distance, she felt a sense of loss. As if something was destroyed or an opportunity missed. That was odd. There wasn't anything extraordinary about this encounter, maybe except the fact that Byakuya seemed a bit less cold than usual. But that might have been only thanks to the shock they had all received. The betrayal of three captains was something that didn't happen every day, so it was understandable that even the most level-headed of shinigami were distraught. So it probably meant nothing. With that thought the young Kuchiki girl shrugged and turned back to Ichigo.

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"I'm sorry, Yoruichi-sama," Soifon said, her eyes downcast.

"Don't be," the older woman said. "You did what you considered the best thing at that time."

"But I've been so wrong. I attacked Yoruichi-sama when I should have attacked Aizen. If we both attacked him, we could have defeated him."

"We can't know that," Yoruichi sighed. "We've both seen his shikai. He could have made us both fight each other anyway."

"That's true," Soifon agreed. "But I still shouldn't have attacked you. I should have trusted you."

"You trusted the government."

"But they were wrong," Soifon pointed out. "I should have realized that Yoruichi-sama would never do something like that. I can't believe I've been so stupid."

"Such blind faith isn't a good thing," Yoruichi replied. "Little Hinamori over there couldn't believe anything bad about her captain too."

"That's different," Soifon exclaimed passionately.

"Just how?" Yoruichi raised a purple eyebrow.

"Yoruichi-sama isn't Aizen."

"And that was so lucky for you," the dark-skinned female replied.

"What do you mean?" Soifon asked, confused.

"Can you honestly say that if you met Aizen instead of me, you wouldn't have fallen for him?"

Soifon's eyes widened at the accusation. How could Yoruichi-sama say something like that? But then she remembered.

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She used to be a happy young girl. She had her father and mother and five older brothers. All of them were wonderful and great in her eyes. Her father Keung was a commander of a unit in the Punishment Corps and the most powerful warrior she knew. Her mother was sweet and kind, not a ninja herself, but a loving matriarch of the family. Not only did her marriage to Fon Keung improve the Fon clan's status by strengthening their ties with the wealthier and more influential Liang family, it also brought much joy into the usually strict and somber House of Fon. Lien-hua was the heart that kept the whole family running.

Zhuang, the eldest brother, was the one everybody in the Fon family stacked their hopes on. He showed promise to one day became a stronger warrior than his father and make a great family head. He also often played with his younger siblings and taught them the art of ninja and he never left little Shaolin out just because she was the youngest one and the only girl. She loved him for it.

Hao, the second eldest, wasn't as talented as Zhuang, but he was strong in his own right too. There was never any doubt that he would make it to the Keigun brigade. Jiao-long and Ju-long were twins and the third and fourth children. They loved to switch places, claiming they were practicing subterfuge for their future career in the Onmitsukidou. Shaoqiang was only a little older than Shaolin and he was the jester of the family, always getting into one mischief or another. The family worried about his future, despite the fact that he wasn't weak. They didn't worry that he wouldn't make it to the Punishment Corps and would have to be cast out of the family like it had happened to uncle Yu, but that he would do something stupid on a mission and get killed.

Yes, despite their destined careers in the Onmitsukidou and the shadow of death constantly hanging above them, their family had been happy. At least at the beginning. Then disasters began to happen. First Keung was wounded on a mission and had to retire from the Onmitsukidou. Several years later, Hao was admitted into the Keigun brigade and was killed on his first mission. It was a shock to the family. Lien-hua took the loss of her son the hardest. Her health began to deteriorate.

Shaolin was devastated by the loss of her brother. But even worse were the whispers of her extended family. _Worthless. Weak. Shame of the family. _She wanted to punch them, but she was just a little girl and they were strong Onmitsukidou agents. They knew what they were talking about. It was then when Shaolin first started hating the rule-breakers who took her brother form her.

Then Jiao-long and Ju-long were killed. They made it to the Punishment Corps together and they survived their first mission together, but their second one proved fatal. It was even worse than when Hao had died. Now the relatives were openly snickering at the weakness of the Fon main family. Zhuang silenced them with a glare, but they continued behind his back. It made Shaolin ashamed. Her brothers had been strong. Then why did they let themselves be killed? Why did they let their family feel such humiliation?

Then even Zhuang died. It was his sixth mission. It wasn't as bad as his brothers had been, but he had been the heir. He had been expected to last. Shaolin hated her brother for letting them down, the criminals for killing him and their cousins and uncles for jeering at her and Shaoqiang. She was determined to prove everybody that there was still strength left in the Fon Main family. And she was determined to protect her last brother. He was everything she had left now. Lien-hua had died shortly after Zhuang, not able to bear the loss anymore. And Keung's health took turn for the worse too. People began whispering that he was going to die soon too.

Shaolin and Shaoqiang joined the Onmitsukidou together. They were also sent on a mission together. And they ran into more enemies than they had expected. Shaoqiang was killed in front of her eyes and she couldn't do a thing about it. She avenged him right away, awakening Suzumebachi in the process, but it couldn't return him to life. It also wasn't enough to save them all, because the enemies' strength was greater than theirs.

And then Yoruichi arrived and saved them. It was then when Soifon dedicated her life fully to her commander. Sure, she had known it was her duty before, but it had been just an obligation up until that moment. Then it changed into what she wanted the most.

She had been so lost and alone then that she latched on the first person that seemed worthy. She had been truly lucky that it had been Yoruichi-sama. As much as she hated Yoruichi's comparison of her and Hinamori, she had to admit that her former superior had a point. Both of them were devoted to one person. But there were one difference. When Yoruichi had been accused of treason, Soifon had damned her. Hinamori clung to the belief that Aizen could do nothing wrong. Soifon hoped that she would get over it soon, otherwise she'd have to do something about her. She had to admit that Aizen could inspire great devotion. He had even tried to get close to her once, not long after Yoruichi-sama left. But Soifon had been too jaded by the perceived betrayal that she had rebuked him without thinking. She shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if she didn't.

But that was for another day. Now she had to sort out her feelings about Yoruichi. Was she really better than Hinamori in forsaking the person she had admired and worshipped so readily? Because it had been wrong in the end. Just as Hinamori was wrong. So what was the right thing to do? Look for the truth, that was it. The Onmitsukidou were taught not to be deceived by appearances. Though they usually didn't do investigative work, they were no strangers to it. When she didn't know what to think, she should have just snooped around and tried to figure it out. But she didn't. She trusted blindly in the official verdict just as she had trusted blindly in Yoruichi-sama before. And that was just as bad.

These were some seriously depressing thoughts. Soifon looked up to find Yoruichi studying her intently. She was still waiting for Soifon's answer.

"I would have fallen for him," she replied. She had been too desperate for somebody to latch on back then.

"You don't have to sound so ashamed," Yoruichi replied. "He deceived better people than you."

"I know," Soifon sighed. "But there was so much I could have done and didn't."

"Don't lose too much sleep over it," the Shihouin princess advised her. "What happened is in the past and dwelling on it never did anyone any good. We have to look into the future."

"Yes, Yoruichi-sama," Soifon nodded. "We're going to destroy Aizen." Yoruichi smiled.

"That's my girl."

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"Finally out of the prison," Ganju sighed in relief. The time he had spent in the jail cell had seemed endless to him though it was only a couple of days. But a couple of days spent in this company felt like an eternity. The big guy, Chad, was so silent that sometimes the young Shiba doubted that he was still alive. And then there was the Quincy. Ganju wasn't known for his observation powers, but even he could tell something was seriously wrong with him. And that was even when he wasn't chasing after butterflies. So yes, the young Shiba was immensely relieved to get out finally.

Next came the question what he was going to do now. He wanted to go home and forget about everything, but his sister was there and she would want to know what had happened. Once she'd realize he had been mostly useless, he'd be in trouble. So he wasn't going home anytime soon. But where else could he go? There was no spot in Seireitei he wanted to be.

Then he noticed that his companions were walking away. They had gotten so far during his musings that they almost disappeared behind the corner. Ganju jogged to catch up with them. Weird or not, they were the only people he knew here and he didn't want to be left alone.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To the Soukyoku Hill," Ishida answered.

"The execution ground?" Ganju's eyes widened in fear. "Why?"

"Because everybody is there," the Quincy explained.

"Well, I might as well meet the person we were saving. She must be really something when everybody tried so hard," Ganju decided and followed them. He began to regret his decision after climbing one tenth of the staircase leading up, but he didn't want to look like a wimp and kept pace with the two ryoka.

Finally they reached the top of the Hill. It was a disaster zone. Ganju hadn't seen an area so damaged since the time he had accidentally set off a firework and tossed it away before Kuukaku could notice it and hit a box of fireworks which happened to be close to another box of fireworks... The resulting chain reaction had been enough to turn the Shiba residence into a deep crater. Kuukaku had been very, very displeased with him and let him feel it. The young Shiba shuddered at the memory. He pushed it to the back of his mind. He wanted to think about more pleasant things, like the beauty they had saved.

It didn't take them long to find their way through the devastation and reach their friends. Even if Ganju knew them for only a short time, he could recognize them immediately. Ichigo, the only shinigami of the group, was lying on the ground, probably unconscious, covered by the weird gold glowing shield of Orihime. The girl and the other girl, who resembled Kuukaku too much for comfort, were for some mysterious reason dressed like shinigami and kneeling beside Ichigo. With them was a third girl in white. _So that must be the mysterious Rukia-chan,_ Ganju thought. He couldn't see her face yet, because she was facing the other way, but he started walking closer. She really must be a world-class beauty to deserve such devotion.

But when he walked closer and finally looked at her face, he felt as if he was struck by lightning. For a moment, he was back at his family's estate, it was night and he was still a boy, watching as his dying brother was carried home by his murderer. The memory lasted only for a moment. Then he was back in the present and his hand found its way to the hilt of his sword on its own. Ganju drew his weapon without thinking.

"You!" he shouted and charged at the murderer. He didn't get that far. He was tackled by Chad and Tatsuki immediately and a triangular shield appeared between him and Rukia.

"What are you doing?" several people demanded at once.

"Stop it," Rukia commanded before her protectors could pummel the youth to death. She studied his clothes for a while, paying special attention to the swirl symbols. "Are you from the Shiba clan?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered proudly. "And you killed my brother."

"What?" several exclamations of disbelief sounded. Orihime was so shocked that her shields disappeared. But she got over it quickly, reapplied the Souten Kisshun and continued healing Ichigo. Everybody looked between Ganju and Rukia, expecting the girl to deny it. But to their collective astonishment, she hung her head low.

"I did."

"What?" "Rukia?" "Kuchiki-san?" the ryoka group couldn't believe their ears.

"It's true," Rukia confirmed. "I killed Shiba Kaien."

"And I'm going to kill you for that," Ganju stated and tried to attack her. He was tackled again before he could make a step in her direction. "Let me go!" he shouted, but they just held him tighter.

"Can't we talk about this like civilized people?" Ishida asked. Everybody ignored him. They were too busy struggling to listen. It took a while before Ganju calmed down enough to do something other than trying to get free and kill Rukia and the people holding him down didn't have to try so hard anymore. But they still didn't dare to let him go. The look the Shiba youth was shooting Rukia was still murderous.

"Can we talk about it like civilized people now?" Ishida tried again. "Maybe if you explained what happened?"

"There's nothing to explain," Ganju scoffed. "She killed my brother." Rukia hung her head down.

"So what about miss Kuchiki's side of the story?" the Quincy prompted. Rukia bit her lip. It was obvious that she didn't want to answer and for a while it looked like she wouldn't. But then she began speaking. Everybody listened in silence as she spoke about the former lieutenant of the Thirteenth, how he took her under his wing, taught her shinigami skills and dragged her along on his missions so she could gain some experience in battle. He had taken her along even the day his wife had been slaughtered. That was when Rukia's voice hitched and Ganju's face hardened, but the girl continued her tale. She spoke about the Hollow Metastacia and its zanpakutou-destroying and people-possessing powers. She almost broke to tears when she described how she had to stop the rampage of her possessed superior and how Kaien thanked her for saving him as he died. Then the story was finally over and she fell silent. Ganju was the first to speak up.

"And I am supposed to believe this?" he snarled.

"That's what happened," Rukia replied.

"Who ever heard about Hollows like that?" the young Shiba retorted. "You made this up."

"Believe it or not, this is what happened. I'm really sorry I had to kill your brother, but I had no choice."

"That doesn't make it better!" Ganju shouted.

"I think it does," Ishida pointed out, but he was ignored.

"You could have saved him!" the Shiba youth continued his accusations.

"How?" Rukia questioned.

"You should have known a way," Ganju stated.

"Now that's unreasonable," the Quincy observed, but once again Ganju paid him no attention. He turned on his heel and marched off.

"He's hurting too much," Tatsuki observed. "Once he calms down, he'd see reason."

"I'm not so sure about it," Uryuu sighed. "He's not very rational."

"What am I going to do?" Rukia sighed dejectedly.

"Wait a few days and then talk to him again."

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He was in pain. That was the first thing that registered in his mind. The second was that he was lying on something soft. That was strange. Last thing he could remember he had been lying on the hard ground. He opened his eyes. He had never seen the room he was in before but he could tell a hospital when he was stuck inside one.

Waking up in a hospital was usually a bad thing. So how did he end up in such predicament this time? The memories came back swiftly. Their charge into the Soul Society, sneaking around and fighting concluded in the showdown on Soukyoku Hill. So maybe waking up in a hospital wasn't a bad thing this time. He could have woken up in prison or not at all instead. But still, not knowing how had the battle ended was torture.

He suffered through several nurses and doctors checking on him before somebody he could talk to appeared.

"Inoue," he greeted when he recognized her form standing in the doorway, clad for whatever reason in a shihakushou.

"Kurosaki-kun," she replied. "Are you alright?"

"The doctors say I will be," he answered. That made Orihime worried. It was unusual for Ichigo to admit he wasn't alright, no matter how beat up he got. She hid her worries behind a bright smile. There was no need to make Kurosaki-kun worried too.

"That's good to hear," she said as cheerfully as she could muster.

"So what happened?" Ichigo immediately went for the heart of the matter. "How did the fight end?"

So Orihime told him. The boy listened silently.

"At least Rukia is alright," he commented with a relieved sigh when the girl finished her tale. Hearing that his shinigami friend was acquitted on all charges was the only good part of the story. The three traitors escaping with the Houkyo... whatever definitely wasn't good. Ichigo would have liked to think that they were the Gotei 13's problem now, but he knew that they wouldn't be so lucky. They had humiliated Aizen publicly. A megalomaniac with delusions of godhood like him wouldn't forget an insult like that. They were going to see him again. The thought made him shudder. Aizen's power had been so overwhelming. If he became even stronger... what could they do against him?

"_This is not like you."_

"_Zangetsu?" _Ichigo recognized the familiar voice.

"_Who else?" _The zanpakutou spirit sounded a bit exasperated. _"You're insulting me again, Ichigo."_

"_Sorry," _the teenager replied, remembering his fight against Kenpachi. He almost blushed with shame as he recalled his utter panic at the beginning. And yet in the end he had been able to make the fight a (almost) tie. _"No battle is ever really hopeless, is it?"_

"_That's right," _Zangetsu nodded, sounding almost pleased.

"_If he's too strong for us now, we just have to train. So that the next time he shows up, he'd be in for a nasty surprise."_

"_That's the spirit," _the zanpakutou nodded approvingly.

"_But," _Ichigo sighed, _"this is going to take a lot of training."_

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Everywhere around him was snow. It covered the ground in thick layers and it whirled in the air, making it impossible to see any farther than his arm could reach. No matter where he looked, there were only snowflakes carried by howling winds.

Something else was howling. The voice was carried on the wind, almost lost in the blizzard raging around. But once he had noticed it, he couldn't miss it again. It was loud, roaring like thunder. It was familiar.

"Hyourinmaru?" he called. He recognized this place now. He was on the frozen plains of his inner world. But it had been years since the weather here had been so bad.

"**Master,"** the dragon of ice appeared before him, seemingly materializing from the storm. Hitsugaya smiled slightly when he saw him.

"Hyourinmaru," he repeated. The head on the serpentine neck leaned down, letting the child caress its chin. They stayed like that for a minute.

"What about the battle?" Hitsugaya asked then. "Did we get him?"

"**No," **the dragon replied. **"He escaped."**

"That's a shame," Hitsugaya grimaced.

"**You didn't really think it would be enough?" **It wasn't really a question.

"I hoped it might," Toushirou admitted.

"**That's just like you," **the dragon remarked.

"How's everybody?"

"**How would I know?" **the zanpakutou spirit shrugged.** "Why don't you wake up and ask?"**

Hitsugaya just nodded. The dragon always had the ability to make him feel young and stupid by pointing out the obvious.

Hitsugaya concentrated on leaving his inner world. He could immediately tell he succeeded when the pain slammed into him. For a moment he debated retreating back into his Inner World, but Hyourinmaru wouldn't be happy with him if he did that. So he opened his eyes instead. Quite predictably he saw the ceiling of the Fourth Division's hospital. It looked like Seireitei was still standing. Good.

A sound informed him that he wasn't alone. He turned his head and saw one of the Fourth Division's nurses. The girl took note of his awakening and left the room. Shortly after that Unohana-taichou entered.

"How are you feeling?" she asked even as she began checking his vitals.

"Fine," he answered. She shot him a look calling him on his all too obvious lie. "Well, not so fine," he admitted. "How did the battle go?"

Unohana told him everything. Hitsugaya's expression darkened as he listened.

"That's not good. All three traitors got away. There'll be trouble." He made a movement as if he wanted to get up, but Unohana pushed him down on the bed gently, but forcefully.

"You aren't going anywhere," she informed him. "You're going to stay here until you heal and that's going to take at least a week." Hitsugaya grimaced, but he knew better than to argue with Unohana.

The Fourth Division captain finished her examination and stood up.

"Rest well," she suggested. "I'll come to check on you again tomorrow. Oh, and you have a visitor now." She let the person in as she was leaving. Hitsugaya stiffened as he recognized the newcomer. This was somebody he wasn't ready to face yet. But now he had no choice.

"Shiro-chan," Hinamori said, stopping next to his bed. Hitsugaya grimaced. He really didn't like her calling him like this, but he didn't dare to correct her now. What if she attacked him again? He wasn't in the state to fight her off. Then he realized that he was thinking of Momo as a potential enemy. It hurt, but after what had happened he couldn't be relaxed around her anymore.

"Momo," he replied, trying to avoid saying anything that might anger her. The thought that Hinamori might try to kill him again hurt him more than any injury she could inflict on him.

"I... I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-kun," the girl said. "But Aizen-taichou said you killed him..."

"And you believed him." The words were out before he could stop himself. His voice was accusatory. He immediately winced. He didn't mean to treat Momo like this. What was Hinamori going to do now?

"And what was I supposed to think?" The question was so stupid Hitsugaya couldn't answer it. He could only stare. So when he said nothing for a few seconds, she continued. "Now I know Aizen-taichou isn't dead I know you didn't kill him."

"Hm." Hitsugaya didn't dare to say anything else.

"When do you think Aizen-taichou will be back?" Hinamori asked after almost a minute of tense silence.

"What?" the young captain couldn't believe his ears.

"When will Aizen-taichou return?" she repeated the question.

"He won't return," Hitsugaya said. "He can't. He's a traitor, didn't you hear?"

"Aizen-taichou is not a traitor!" Momo protested, her cheeks flushed with righteous fury. Well, at least she believed wholeheartedly that it was righteous. She was probably the only one. "How can you say something like this, Shiro-chan? Aizen-taichou is the best captain ever!"

"Didn't you notice all the people he tried to kill?" Toushirou reminded her.

"Ichimaru made him," the girl stated with unshakable certainty.

"Huh?" Hitsugaya could only blink in confusion. Just what was this supposed to mean?

"It's the only possible explanation," she continued. "Ichimaru must be the one behind it all. I never liked him. He's so creepy."

While nobody except perhaps Matsumoto liked Ichimaru, Momo's theory was full of holes. The young captain wasted no time in pointing them out.

"Do you really think Ichimaru could make Aizen do anything?"

"Yes. He's evil enough for it," she answered with conviction.

"But he's not strong enough for it," Hitsugaya argued. "In case you didn't notice, Ichimaru was beaten up on the ground when they left. And so was Tousen."

"He was pretending." Hinamori had an explanation for everything. It didn't necessarily have to be a good explanation.

"Right," Hitsugaya nodded sarcastically. "He was pretending to have a gaping hole in his chest."

"Yes." The sarcasm was lost on Momo. The white-haired boy sighed in exasperation. There was really no arguing with this girl.

"I think Aizen is pretending to work with him to discover his weak spot and take him down," Hinamori said.

"What?" Once again Toushirou couldn't believe his ears. Momo interpreted his disbelieving expression her own way.

"Ichimaru," she explained, as if talking to a child, which irked the boy. "Aizen is pretending to be his ally to discover his weakness and take him down. And once he does so, he'll be back."

"Sure," Hitsugaya scoffed. "And then someone takes down him."

"What do you have against Aizen-taichou?" Momo questioned, exasperation creeping into her voice. Honestly, why couldn't Shiro-chan understand something so simple? He was usually smarter than that.

"In case you missed it, he tried to kill me," Hitsugaya countered with his own explanation. "He wrote the letter that made you attack me. He feigned his death and made you crazy with grief. Do I have to continue?"

"I'm sure he had his reasons," Hinamori stated confidently. There was really no argument against this. "And we're both alive, aren't we?"

"No thanks to him," Hitsugaya muttered.

"You're mean," Momo pouted. "You never liked Aizen-taichou. I'll talk to you again when you're more reasonable. Bye, Shiro-chan."

"Bye, and don't come back, Bed-wetter Momo," he called after her as she left the room. Then he sank back onto the pillows, his mood sour. He had always known that Momo idolized Aizen, but this was defying logic. On second thought, it was defying sanity as well. If Hinamori said this in public, she could get into a lot of trouble. She could even be labeled Aizen's accomplice. Hitsugaya dreaded the possibility, but he had no idea how to prevent it. He could do nothing stuck in the hospital.

The door opened again. He didn't have to look to recognize this visitor. This one was more welcome than the previous one.

"Matsumoto."

"Captain!" She walked over to him and hugged him, making him grimace as his wounds began hurting even worse than they already did. "I'm so glad you're awake! How are you?"

"I'll live."

"That sounds bad," she said gravely. "You didn't even insist you were alright."

"Hmph." Hitsugaya didn't feel like another verbal battle with his second-in-command.

"I saw Momo coming out of here," Matsumoto said. "Did she say something wrong?" Hitsugaya sighed.

"She's convinced Aizen is innocent and there's nothing that can change her mind."

"She practically worshipped him," Rangiku mused aloud. "No wonder she's in denial."

"If somebody hears her talking like that she'll be in trouble," the boy pointed out.

"No kidding," the woman nodded seriously. "And knowing her, she'd tell the whole Seireitei if somebody doesn't stop her."

"Can you..." Hitsugaya began hesitantly.

"Yes," Matsumoto nodded.

"Thank you," the young captain replied sincerely. He could only hope that Matsumoto would manage to prevent a disaster.

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The mechanical movement of sticking the needle through the fabric and pulling the thread behind it calmed him down. Sewing always had this effect on him. Other boys and even girls always laughed when they saw him doing it, but Ishida ignored them. They knew nothing and it was below his dignity to pay them any mind. Besides, even the worst of them stopped laughing when they saw just how good he was at it. Uryuu would never admit it aloud, but the looks on their faces brought him no small amount of enjoyment.

He had originally learned sewing because no shop sold proper Quincy clothes. Then he started liking the creative work and soon he was making more and more artistic designs. But above all, he sewed because it soothed his nerves. And he needed it now. To his companions, he was going to tell that he had made them new clothes because their old ones were either ruined or lost, but to himself he admitted that he did it to keep himself occupied. When he had to think about the next stitch, he didn't have to think about other stuff. But unfortunately for him, the practice he had gained over the years meant that he didn't have to concentrate on sewing fully even when working on the finest embroidery.

So his thoughts kept straying to the events of the last few days. His fight with Kurotsuchi still weighted heavily on his mind. He had thought about it from every possible angle and he doubted he could come up with something new, but he had to sum it up again. One: Kurotsuchi Mayuri was a complete monster who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of his kinsmen. Second: he really, really wanted to kill that sick bastard. Third: Captain Kurotsuchi was too strong to defeat without restoring to the power of Letzt Stil. Four: even with this power, he still failed to kill him. Five: because he had used the ultimate power, he had lost his Quincy abilities forever. And it was for naught. Six: even if Kurotsuchi was a complete monster, his abused 'daughter' still loved him. Seven: grandfather had taught Uryuu to never remove the Sanrei Glove unless he knew what he wanted to protect. He disobeyed and did it out of hate. Eight: there was a war in the brewing and he had no more strength to fight it.

He was useless. He had come to the Soul Society to prove his strength to the shinigami and he couldn't do anything of any significance. He had used an easy way to gain more power before his personal training was completed and he had paid the price. And now he was powerless. He couldn't improve and try to impress them again. He wished he could ask sensei about a way to restore his powers, but Souken was long dead, dissected in Kurotsuchi's labs. Uryuu was the last Quincy now. Only he couldn't really call himself a Quincy anymore. The centuries of his people's proud of history had ended. And for what? Nothing that was worth it.

A sharp pain in his palm snapped out of his musing. He saw that the cloth in his hand was seeping red. A quick inspection revealed the cause. In his distraction and anger he had sewed through his skin. He grimaced, cut the thread and discarded the dirty garment. Then he treated the puncture wound on his palm and picked another piece of cloth. He had to start over with this shirt. And he had to pay more attention if he wanted to do it right. Because sewing was the only thing he was any good for now. And thinking about everything he had done lately, he wondered whether it was everything he had ever been any good for.

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Orihime smiled when the injury disappeared in an instant. It was just a tiny slash wound one shinigami had sustained during a sparring match, not really requiring medical attention, but it didn't matter. Just a few days ago, it would have taken her half a minute to heal this. Now it was just a second. And she didn't even feel the strain on her reiryoku. She was improving. The days she had spent healing small wounds helped her a lot. She wanted to try her hand at some of the more serious cases, but Unohana-taichou didn't let her. She had asked whether Orihime's ability would undo the healing the Fourth Division members had done previously. The girl wasn't sure what would happen, so for safety's sake, they let her treat only non life-threatening injuries. In Inoue's opinion, that was a shame. She really wanted to help those who needed in the most. Ichigo was already back on his feet thanks to her help. She wanted to help Hitsugaya-kun too. Seeing somebody so young in pain made her heart clench. But at least he was recovering. She had visited him every day and she could see how he was improving. He'll be out of the hospital in another day or so. It made her happy.

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A soft whoosh of air was all the warning Tatsuki had. She quickly lifted her left arm, catching the blow headed for her temple with her forearm. Then she spun on her heel and punched her attacker in the ribs. He grunted, but that was all the effect her counterattack had on him. Then he kicked. She knew she had no time to dodge, so she tried blocking instead. It wasn't enough. The force of the hit sent her flying, block or no block. She somehow managed to land on her feet, but she was unbalanced. Her opponent capitalized on it. He appeared next to her in a flash and delivered a hook to her face. She dodged it just barely, but it upset her balance even more. When the next blow came, she was knocked to the ground and there was nothing she could do about it. In the next instant she felt her opponent's foot on her neck. She had lost.

"Madarame wins!" somebody announced. The foot disappeared from her throat. Tatsuki slowly sat up. She grimaced as her ribs, bruised earlier during the spar, protested against moving.

"Looks like I'm no match for a real high-level shinigami yet," she observed.

"It wasn't bad," a flamboyant shinigami, she thought his name was Ayasegawa, commented. "You lasted pretty long against Ikkaku."

"Not long enough." She had hoped she'd do better than this, but apparently she had still a long way to go. A very long way. She had originally accepted the spar with Ikkaku, who wanted to test the strength of Ichigo's companions, because she had been bored. Then she saw the difference in their strength. The Third Seat went easy against her, and not only because he didn't use his zanpakutou, and she couldn't last even a whole minute.

"Don't be so down, girl," a big guy with a scarred face she didn't know by name said. "You have talent and power, you just need more training and experience."

"I definitely need more training," she agreed.

"So why not start now?" he suggested, walking close. "Would you spar with me? I am Hayashi Hotaka, Ninth Seat."

"Well, why not?" Tatsuki shrugged, slipping into her battle stance. Training really sounded like a good idea now. Her opponent grinned and attacked. She grinned, blocked and counterattacked. The fight was on. The karate mistress was pleased to find out that it was more even than the last one.

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Rukia wanted to bolt and run. She really didn't want to face Kaien's family. But she had to. She had to apologize for what she had done, because that was all she could do. She had been a coward for too long, postponing the visit for whatever reason (excuse) she could find. But she couldn't do it anymore. She had to face the demons of her past.

So now she was staring at the goofy design of the Shiba family manor. The ridiculousness of the building reminded her of Kaien-dono. It made her feel even worse. She really, really wanted to run, but she knew that she couldn't. She took a deep breath and strode towards the entrance, not looking left or right. Before she reached it, two figures blocked her path. They looked almost identical if it wasn't for the different colors of their garbs.

"Who dares to intrude on the lands of the Shiba?" they asked in unison. Their voices weren't any friendlier than their words.

"Uh... I..." Rukia stammered, suddenly feeling intimidated. The last shreds of her courage were threatening to turn tail and run. A part of her mind reminded her that as a member of the Kuchiki clan she should be more eloquent. It sounded too much like Byakuya nii-sama for her tastes. That didn't improve her composure any. But she wasn't going to back off once she had come this far. She wasn't going to let mere retainers stop her even if they looked ready to bodily throw her out at the slightest provocation. Fortunately at that moment the door of the Shiba house opened and there stood the lady of the manor herself. Rukia felt immensely relieved at the sight. She immediately bowed deep.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you should be sorry for disturbing Kuukaku-sama," one of the servants said, she didn't know which one.

"No," she corrected. "I'm sorry for killing Kaien-dono."

"So it was you!" the two brutes shouted in unison. Rukia felt them moving towards her and braced herself in expectation of a hit. But it never landed.

"Enough," Kuukaku commanded. Her two guards stopped immediately. Rukia remained motionless, still bowing deeply.

"I said enough," the Shiba repeated. "So stop bowing finally, girl." Rukia straightened reluctantly, fearing what would she see in the eyes of Kaien's sister. She was prepared for anger, hate or coldness, but to her utter astonishment she couldn't see it. "Ukitake told me everything. I decided that if you apologized, I would let it go." Rukia was astonished. She opened her mouth to answer and realized she didn't know what to say. Before she could come up with something, Ganju's voice interjected.

"You can't possibly mean that, sister!" The youth strode from behind the house. He looked just as angry as he had when he had stormed off the Soukyoku Hill.

"I can and I will!" Kuukaku barked at him. For once the Shiba boy wasn't intimidated.

"How can you believe the words of shinigami? Who had ever heard it? Hollow possessing shinigami? That's nonsense!"

"And since when are you an expert on Hollows?" the fireworks mistress questioned. Rukia decided it was the time to interject.

"Before Aizen left, he boasted about the modified Hollows he had created. He named a Hollow that could destroy zanpakutou and possess shinigami among them."

"So you're saying Aizen is the one responsible for Kaien's death?" Kuukaku asked.

"She's trying to shift the blame!" Ganju accused, but he was ignored by the audience.

Rukia nodded. "According to his words, it is so."

"Hey, sister, you aren't going to trust a shinigami, are you?"

"Quiet," Kuukaku snapped at him.

"I know Aizen isn't trustworthy, but that's what he said," Kuchiki stated.

"And he's a really messed-up one, from what I've heard," Kuukaku mused. "He might have actually done so."

"Don't just believe her!" Ganju insisted, but nobody paid him any attention.

"If that's true, then I really, really want to get my hands on Aizen," the Shiba lady said with a dark smirk. "Having finally somebody to exact revenge on feels so good."

"Please be careful," Rukia advised. "Aizen is strong. Frighteningly so."

"Don't worry about me, girl," Kuukaku waved her hand.

"I just don't want more of Kaien-dono's family die."

"The Shiba can take care of themselves," the firework mistress declared proudly. "Well, maybe except this one," she admitted looking at Ganju. The youth paled. "Let's go training." Ganju paled even more and tried to run. Kuukaku quickly chased him down. Rukia smiled. Their antics reminded her of Kaien. Then she turned around and left, in much higher spirits than she came. They didn't hate her. At least Kuukaku didn't. A great burden had fallen from her heart.

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It was several days after Aizen's departure. Everybody was out of the hospital now, though not back to full health yet. Everybody wanted answers. And Yoruichi was the only one who could give them some. When they bothered the catwoman long enough, she agreed to explain to them what she knew. So that afternoon they met in an unused warehouse. The whole group, Ichigo, Chad, Ishida, Orihime, Tatsuki and Rukia were there. On Tatsuki's and Orihime's insistence they invited Hitsugaya too.

"Hello, uh... Toushirou," Kurosaki greeted the young captain.

"That's Hitsugaya-taichou," the white-haired boy snapped back.

"You should try to learn some manners sometimes, Kurosaki," Ishida suggested.

"What's wrong with my manners?" Ichigo snapped.

"Quiet, you two," Tatsuki hit them both on their heads. Yoruichi grinned.

"Now that everybody's here, we can begin," the former Onmitsukidou commander said.

"It'd better be a good explanation," Tatsuki growled.

"Then sit down and listen," the dark-skinned woman said. "As some of you already know, over a hundred years ago, I used to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidou and Kisuke used to be the Twelfth Division Captain and President of the Research and Development Institute." Several people nodded in acknowledgement. "The whole command of the Gotei 13 looked completely different by then. In fact, only Yamamoto, Unohana, Kyouraku and Ukitake are still in office. Aizen used to be just a lieutenant back then. Ichimaru was a new recruit and Tousen a Seventh Seat or something. But they were already in cahoots and up to no good. But nobody suspected anything. Only Shinji felt there was something wrong with his second-in-command, but he wasn't sure what and could never prove anything."

"Who's Shinji?" Ichigo asked.

"Hirako Shinji," Yoruichi answered. "Captain of the Fifth at that time. Well, anyway, the whole mess started when souls began disappearing in Rukongai. A squad was sent to investigate. They disappeared too. Another squad led by a captain went to investigate. They suspected some pathogen and called for a researcher from the Twelfth. Urahara sent his lieutenant. Meanwhile, Kensei's group got into trouble."

"And who's this Kensei?" Uryuu inquired.

"He used to be the captain of the Ninth at that time. He led the investigation," Yoruichi explained. "Well, that night, trouble happened. Tousen, who was a part of the group, attacked his comrades. As Seireitei lost contact with the group, emergency captains' meeting was called. There it was decided that a group made of captains and lieutenants should deal with whatever was causing the trouble.

At the site, they found out that Kensei had turned into part Hollow. He went completely berserk and attacked them. They fought him. Then they started slowly turning into Hollows too."

"That's terrible," Orihime said. Yoruichi nodded grimly.

"You haven't seen it," Yoruichi grimaced, her eyes faraway. "Well, anyway, at that time, Kisuke and Tessai headed there too to save their subordinates, even though they weren't supposed to. When they arrived, they saw the culprits. Aizen, Tousen, Ichimaru. They've been conducting illegal experiments with Hollowification. Kisuke and Tessai arrived just in time to prevent them from disposing of their experiments. But they couldn't stop the three. They just walked away. Kisuke and Tessai couldn't pursue them if they wanted to save the victims. Kisuke used the Hougyoku to stabilize them, but he was unable to reverse the transformation. Then in the morning they were arrested. Aizen had used Kyouka Suigetsu to create himself an alibi and pinned all the blame on Kisuke. The Central 46 decided to seal his power and kill all the eight Aizen's test subjects as Hollows. I knew Kisuke was innocent, so I had to act. I freed them and we ran. We've been on the run ever since, until now."

There was a moment of silence as everybody processed the information before the questions began. It lasted for quite a while, but they didn't learn much more. Either Yoruichi didn't know, or she was still keeping secrets. Most people would put their money on the second possibility. Eventually they disbanded, going home to muse over what they've learned.

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Aizen stood in his private room inside Las Noches. He was contemplating everything that had happened during the last few days. After a time to cool down, the events seemed better than they had initially. While it was true that his departure from Soul Society wasn't as triumphal as he would have wished, he had accomplished all his objectives. He had the Hougyoku. He hadn't lost any of his important subordinates; both Gin and Kaname were going to recover completely soon. Some of the Arrancar had questioned his abilities after seeing his lieutenants in such a sorry state, but he had quickly convinced them that he wasn't any weaker than he used to be and they still were nothing more than bugs to him. He didn't mind losing those subordinates. They were just incomplete prototypes after all. Soon he'd replace them with much better models.

So there was just the matter of the impression he had left in the minds and hearts of the shinigami. It rattled his pride that they might consider him weak and insignificant for the troubles he had encountered, but his mind recognized it as an opportunity. If they failed to take him seriously from the beginning, it would give him more time to build up his forces and then attack Seireitei before they were ready for him. He might also make some changes to his original plans to gain even more advantage. And then he was going to get back at them for all the humiliation. He was going to get back at everybody for that; he remembered perfectly who threw which spanner into his works. But that had its due time. Let them stew first before taking them down. He had another matter to attend to now.

He looked at the Hollow standing in front of him. It wasn't a particularly strong one, not even a Gillian, but he didn't want to waste any of the high-level ones on what could easily turn out to be an unsuccessful experiment. He squeezed the Hougyoku in his hand. It was the result of merging his own prototype with Urahara's. Now he was going to find out whether it was any good. With that thought, he pushed his power into the gem and started the process of unmasking.

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Now that everybody was back on their feet, the Captain-Commander decided to call for a meeting to address the latest issues.

When the captains assembled, it was a sorry sight. The odd-numbers line had so many holes in it that it could barely be called a line anymore. It hadn't been that long since they had filled the last gap in their ranks after the latest disaster and there already were three new empty spots. It was truly disheartening.

Then Yamamoto tapped his cane on the floor, signaling that the meeting had begun and began speaking. He had probably intended to start it with a short summation of what had happened (like there was anybody who didn't know), but ended up venting all his frustration instead. The speech quickly turned very heated and so did the air in the room, making it very uncomfortable for everybody except the ancient general. Everybody else in the room suppressed a sigh or a grimace. This was going to be a very long meeting.

As Yamamoto ranted on and on about the need to punish all traitors accordingly, Kyouraku and Ukitake exchanged a glance. They were both disappointed that they didn't really get to do anything, but they were glad that they didn't really have to defy Yamamoto. He would have really killed them this time. By now the Shihouin shield was safely hidden away and nobody could tell what they had been planning to do. In the end it was a good thing that they hadn't done it. If they did really destroy the Soukyoku, they would have nothing to put Aizen on, presuming they'd actually catch him.

Then Yamamoto finally was done ranting and it was time for the captains to speak their suggestions. This part of the meeting went predictably too. Every time somebody made a suggestion somebody else called it retarded. The discussion was going nowhere.

Hitsugaya wondered how could they so completely avoid one topic. It was as if they all completely forgot about the time they had branded him a murderer and traitor. Once it was revealed that he didn't actually do anything, they let him back into their ranks without saying a word. There wasn't even one 'sorry we suspected you.' It was likely that at least some of them didn't, that the order had come from Yamamoto personally and was given to Soifon and the other captains didn't get a say in it. Considering how fast had it all happen, it was probably the case. Hitsugaya knew that he wouldn't get an apology from Soifon, he'd have a better chance getting one from a rock. And Yamamoto? The general would never admit that he was capable of doing something wrong. He'd probably scold Hitsugaya for resisting arrest and breaking into the Central 46. So he really shouldn't bring this subject up.

But he still felt hurt. The fact that he got branded a criminal just because of one letter written by a lying, scheming bastard felt like betrayal. Did they all trust him so little? Couldn't they ask him civilly what was it all about? Well, asking a madman who wanted to destroy Soul Society anything civilly was probably a bad idea, but how could anybody actually believe that? Hitsugaya felt that he had lost all trust and respect he used to have in his fellow captains. He didn't know how long it would take before it would mend. If it ever would.

In the end, this captains' meeting was very much like other captains' meetings: a lot was said but very little was resolved. The only plan they made, if that could be called a plan, was to be alert and prepare for war. Why did they even bother with the meetings? It was just one big waste of time.

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Ichigo felt somebody's reiatsu drawing near. At first, that made him happy, because it meant that his reiatsu-sensing abilities were improving. Then he realized whose reiatsu it was and his mood dropped. Nobody with a shred of spiritual power could possibly miss this reiatsu. And he wasn't sure he wanted to see its owner again. But before he could decide whether to get up and run and risk looking like a coward, a nearby wall broke down and through strode Kenpachi.

"Hello, Ichigo," he grinned.

"Hello, Ichi!" Yachiru called from Zaraki's shoulder. "We came to play!" Ichigo cringed. He had an idea what 'playing' meant in their vocabulary.

"I want to fight with you again," the Eleventh Division Captain confirmed Ichigo's suspicion. "I've missed the big battle so I'm really spoiling for a good fight." He didn't even wait for Ichigo's answer and drew his jagged zanpakutou, grinning manically. Ichigo had half a mind to bolt. Kenpachi was truly terrifying. Even now he could feel phantom pain from the wounds he had sustained during their fight. But back then, he managed to tie with the captain. He got better since then. He had achieved Bankai. That should give him the advantage, shouldn't it?

"Alright," he said, drawing Zangetsu. "Let's begin."

Kenpachi just grinned and attacked. His speed and strength took Ichigo by surprise. It was all he could do to block the first strike. He gritted his teeth, gathered his strength and pushed back. Kenpachi was forced to make a step back.

"What is it?" the captain grimaced. "Don't tell me this is all your strength. You were much better the last time."

"I'm just getting warmed up," Ichigo informed him, raising his reiatsu. This time, he attacked Kenpachi and the huge man struggled to block it.

"That's more like it," he grinned, sending Ichigo flying with his left fist. The redhead rolled in the air and landed on his feet. He grinned and rushed at Kenpachi. The fight was on.

For a while, they exchanged blows, with neither of them gaining an advantage. Then the match began to slowly turn in Kenpachi's favor.

"What's wrong?" the scarred man frowned. "You can fight better than this. So fight or I'm going to kill you!" He showered his opponent with a flurry of blows. Kurosaki blocked to his best ability, but he still sustained several shallow wounds.

"This isn't like you, Ichigo," Zaraki frowned. "We had such a great time together. So what happened to you? Why are you suddenly scared to cross swords with me?"

"Why?" Kurosaki replied. "Because every time our swords clash, I hear yours screaming in pain. It's terrible. How can you stand it?"

"What are you talking about?" Kenpachi looked confused.

"Can't you hear it?" Ichigo asked. "It sounds even louder than the last time we fought. Or maybe I can hear it better. But the sound is so terrible I can't bear it. It wasn't so bad when I saw you as an enemy but now..." he shook his head.

"Hah. Who cares?" the captain shrugged. "The sword is just a thing. I fight with my own strength."

"This isn't about fighting with your own strength," the redhead said. "It's about cutting off a part of your own soul. How can you do it? How can you cause somebody so much pain and be so casual about it? I can't see you as a sadist. You love fighting, but you don't relish in torturing your opponents. Then how can you torment so much the one who is your closest partner?" He couldn't imagine doing something like that to Zangetsu.

"This is just a thing," Kenpachi waved the chipped katana. Ichigo thought he might be less convinced than he had been earlier. But that might be just his wishful thinking.

"It's a part of your own soul," Ichigo corrected. "Then why it is so rusty and jagged? A zanpakutou heals when it's broken. So why yours doesn't?"

Zaraki looked at his weapon contemplatively. He had to admit that Ichigo had a point. Why did his zanpakutou look this way? He had never cared about it. He had asked its name once, after his first fight with Ichigo, but he didn't get an answer. He couldn't hear anything from the blade. But Ichigo apparently could. How? Why? It wasn't his zanpakutou, it was Kenpachi's. So why could the redhead hear it? Kenpachi felt rankled that Ichigo could do something he could not. It made him want to learn his sword's name just to show him up. But what would that mean? He had fought on his own strength for so long that he couldn't imagine doing anything else.

He looked up to see Ichigo watching him intently. The boy obviously wanted some answer, but Zaraki didn't know which one he should give. He'd have to think about it and the Eleventh Division captain preferred not to do it unless he absolutely had to.

"Can't we just continue our fight?" he asked. Fighting was the one thing he wanted to do. It always made him feel better. Especially when his head was beginning to hurt from too much thinking. And any thinking about his zanpakutou counted as too much thinking.

"Crossing swords with you is torture," Ichigo answered.

"Damn it," Kenpachi swore. "So I can't have a proper fight with you until I learn the name of my zanpakutou? That sucks." He punched the nearby wall in frustration and strode away in search of someone else to fight. But he knew that it won't make him content. It was Ichigo he wanted to fight. _Damn it, now I really have to learn the name of this thing._

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The Senkaimon was open. The rescue party stood in front of it, dressed in the new clothes Ishida had made for them. There was nothing preventing them from leaving. Yet they still hesitated.

"Where is Rukia?"

"Here!" the girl's voice sounded from nearby. Everybody turned to where the voice was coming from. They saw the petite girl approaching them, waving. She was dressed in a colorful kimono that didn't seem very practical for traveling.

"Rukia!" "Kuchiki-san!" "Rukia-chan!" These shouts and two silent nods greeted the shinigami girl.

"Now you're here, let's go," Ichigo said.

"Well, Ichigo," the young Kuchiki started a bit hesitantly, "I'm not going with you."

"What?" "Why?" "And after we did so much to save you." "Are you crazy?" "Why not?"

"I'm glad you saved me, but my place is here," Rukia answered.

"Are you sure? They tried to kill you, remember?" Tatsuki reminded her.

"That was Aizen's doing," she countered.

"I don't remember the others protesting," the Quincy pointed out.

"Whatever," Rukia waved her hand. "That's in the past."

"I doubt you can just forget about it," Ichigo said with a frown.

"I can't," she replied, her face becoming haunted for a moment, before brightening again. "But I can't forget the rest either. I can't forget how Renji fought for me. We have over forty years to make up for." She had been so glad to find out that her oldest friend hadn't started hating her after she had been adopted into the Kuchiki clan. She felt like she couldn't miss on quality time with him now. And even Byakuya nii-sama seemed less cold lately, which she couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or creepy.

"I see," the redhead nodded.

"Hey, Kurosaki," Ishida nudged him, "your girl is getting all chummy with another guy. Are you really okay with it?"

"She's not my girl," Ichigo protested.

"Could have fooled me," Uryuu muttered. Ichigo scowled at him. Before an argument could break out, they were interrupted by a new arrival.

"I've been afraid you've left already, but I see you're still here."

"Ukitake-taichou!" Rukia exclaimed, turning around and bowing. "What brings you here?"

"I came to see Kurosaki and the others off," the white-haired captain replied. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at that. He hadn't even met the Thirteenth's captain before, so why would he feel the need to see them off?

"I didn't thank you for saving Kuchiki yet," Ukitake answered his unspoken question.

"You're welcome," Ichigo answered. "We didn't do it for you."

"But you have my thanks nevertheless. And before I forget, I have something for you."

"What is it?" Kurosaki asked cautiously.

"This." Ukitake showed them a five-sided badge with a familiar skull symbol.

"What's that?" Tatsuki asked, leaning closer.

"This is the Substitute Shinigami Combat pass," the Thirteenth Division captain explained. "Soul Society has rules for acting shinigami. If one appears and we recognize his existence as beneficial to Soul Society, we'll give this to that person. That's how the tradition goes."

"So there's been a lot of substitute shinigami?" Tatsuki asked.

"There were some," Ukitake answered. It sounded as if he wished she wouldn't ask anymore.

"Because I've thought it was illegal to create them," the karate mistress continued. "That's what started this mess."

"That's true, but once one is created, the situation changes. Anyway," the captain turned to Ichigo, "keep this with you at all times, Kurosaki-san. It has the ability to detect Hollows and it allows you to leave your body."

"That sounds useful," the newly appointed Substitute Shinigami noted.

"And now you should go. The gate won't stay open forever," Ukitake added.

"Is he throwing us out?" Tatsuki muttered. Nobody listened. There was the last tearful parting with Rukia, Renji and whoever they made friends during their stay in Seireitei. Then they walked through the gate.

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Momo sat in her room. After everything that had happened, she was so confused. Why was everybody so ready to blame Aizen-taichou? It was as if they didn't know him at all. And when she questioned them, it got her suspended from duty. To give her some time to clear her head, they said. But her head was alright, it was them who were confused. It was true that she couldn't make sense of everything Aizen-taichou had done, but she was sure that he had a reason. And now she had a proof. It came in the form of a letter she had found stuffed into the book she had been reading. A letter written in a familiar handwriting. Once she had read it, everything became crystal clear. Aizen-taichou explained it everything. She looked at the letter clutched in her hands, reading its contents again.

_Dear Hinamori,_

it began, in her captain's familiar elegant handwriting. Just the sight of it made her heart beat faster.

_The events of the last few days had caused you much pain and anguish and I apologize for it. I am deeply sorry for everything I have put you through, but it had been necessary. If you are still willing to listen to me, I will explain everything to you._

Of course she was still willing to listen to him. She always will. Did Aizen-taichou trust her so little? There was no way she could ever doubt him. She thought he knew it.

_For a long time now, I've noticed great injustices happening in the Soul Society. The nobles live their lives in luxury while the people in Rukongai starve. Seireitei enjoys peace and order while Rukongai descends deeper and deeper into anarchy. The only hope the people of Rukongai have to escape their bleak fate is to become shinigami, but very few of them have the capability to do so. The others are out of luck._

_Yes, a long time ago I realized that the authorities of Soul Society care only about those who have spiritual power. I understand how it came to be. In ancient times, the threat of Hollows was much greater than it is today. Back then, everybody who could fight them was of greatest importance to Soul Society. Back then, it was understandable that they could get away with murder, because they saved many more lives. But once the Gotei 13 was organized and drove the Hollows to the furthest fringes of Soul Society, the danger became lesser. Yet those in power never acknowledged it. They still keep the martial law, not caring that the war is over. Those with great spiritual power are still allowed to get away with anything. Only the weak have to fear punishment._

Hinamori remembered the cold voice and eyes of Captain Kuchiki as he ordered Abarai-kun to be thrown into prison, his wounds left untreated. And he had full right to do it, by the law the Gotei 13 lived under. But that didn't make it right. No-one should be allowed to dismiss another's life so easily. No matter how strong or noble he was. Aizen-taichou was completely right about it.

_It is this state of things that allowed a cloud of despair form over most of the Soul Society. Because of this, the Soul Society doesn't shine to the newly deceased souls anymore. It is harder for them to find their way without Konsou and more souls staying in the Living World mean more prey for Hollows and also more new Hollows forming. Thanks to the subsequent strengthening of Hueco Mundo, the Hollowification of straying souls is becoming faster and faster. Soon, it is going to destroy the balance of the worlds. You understand what it would mean._

She did. Not completely, but she knew that it would be unthinkably terrible. The balance of souls was the most important thing in the world and the Gotei 13 existed to protect it. Every shinigami swore to do anything to maintain it. To think that now they were endangering it unknowingly with their actions, it made cold fear run along Hinamori's spine.

_Therefore, dear Hinamori, I decided it has to change. And because no-one else was doing anything, I spoke to people of like mind and we together filed a complaint to the Central 46. They refused it. They refused to see what was wrong, instead being completely preoccupied with maintaining their own status of power. I was left with no other choice than to take matters into my own hands. If the authorities refused to change their views, they had to be removed and replaced with somebody who would uphold justice and restore the balance before it collapses._

_I am not going to lie to you, Hinamori-kun. People are going to die. But it is a necessary sacrifice. I weep for every life that is lost, but I remind myself that it is for the greater good, that their deaths will help to create a better world, one where the weak wouldn't have reason to fear the strong anymore. Where the Soul Society would shine brightly again and the souls could reach it easily._

_Therefore I plead you, Hinamori-kun, if you can forgive me my deception,_

Of course, captain. I can forgive you anything.

_please, help me create that world. I can't tell you everything about my plans, but I will tell you when I would need you to do something for me. In the meantime, please be strong and don't let anybody know if you decide to follow me. Please don't let yourself be discovered. Your help will be needed to accomplish our goals with as little bloodshed as possible._

_Until then, please take care of yourself. I hope I will be able to meet you again soon._

_Yours_

_Aizen Sousuke_

"Of course, taichou," Hinamori whispered. "I will help you. I will be strong and wait as long as you need me to. And when the time comes, I'll do whatever you'll require of me. We will make the world better together."

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The tunnel behind them was closing. They ran for their lives. Everybody hated having to do it again, but they couldn't leave Soul Society through the official route, so this had to do. Then the end of the tunnel finally appeared before them and they ran through. They appeared high behind the ground and began falling. It was an uncomfortably familiar situation. Then something enveloped them and they were tossed back and forth so much they thought they were going to get seasick. Suddenly it ended and they saw they were sitting on a flying carpet with Urahara piloting.

"Welcome back, everyone!" the shady shopkeeper greeted cheerfully.

"Urahara-san," Ichigo said.

"Urahara..." Tatsuki growled.

"You've heard, didn't you?" the exiled shinigami asked, his voice serious.

"Yes."

"I'm very, very sorry," Urahara said, removing his hat and bowing deeply.

"Don't do that," Ichigo said dismissively. "I never said I was pissed or anything. It's not like you did something bad and, regardless of what you were thinking, you helped us to get stronger and get into Soul Society."

"I see," Urahara said.

"Ichigo might forgive you easily, but I won't," Tatsuki said. "You sent us there without any warning of what are we getting into! Everything could have been so much easier if you just told us what you knew beforehand!"

"If you knew what were you up against, would you still go?" Urahara asked.

"So that's it?" Ichigo questioned. "The reason you didn't tell us anything was because you thought we'd get scared?"

"Ah... you're correct!" Urahara answered. He was back to his usual too cheerful behavior. Ichigo and Tatsuki punched him simultaneously.

"I thought so," Ichigo growled. "By the way, you should apologize to Rukia. Even if she would probably say the same thing as me."

"I won't," Tatsuki stated. "You nearly got us all killed."

"But you're all back in one piece and you saved Rukia-san!" Urahara reminded her.

"We got very lucky," Tatsuki countered.

"Oh, I see you're really angry," Urahara said, sounding sad. "So as a gesture of apology I offer you 30% discount on all my merchandize!"

"Like I'd buy anything from you," the karate mistress growled.

"We're close to my house!" Orihime exclaimed. "Can you go down, Urahara-san? I'll be getting off here."

Soon the friends parted their ways, heading for their respective homes.

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Hitsugaya was sitting in his office, working on paperwork. There was a whole mountain of it covering his desk. Not only did the latest incident create an extraordinary amount of forms needing to be filled and approved, there were now three captains less to deal with it. And Matsumoto wasn't there to help him with it. Ichimaru's betrayal had hit her hard and she drunk herself unconscious. Hitsugaya couldn't begrudge her. He had half of a mind to follow her example, but he could never take alcohol well. Besides, this wasn't the time to sink into blissful oblivion. But the monotony of doing the paperwork was a close second. When he was concentrating on things like patrol reports, training reports, how much will the repairs to everything cost, how long will it take and when will the wounded return to active duty, he didn't have to think about the matters that were making him depressed. Like the state the Gotei 13 was in and the fact that they were going to war with a powerful enemy soon. And also Hinamori.

He sighed and pushed the report he had been reading away. Now that his thought had turned to his oldest and dearest friend, there was no way he could concentrate on paperwork again. The words she had said to him in the hospital still haunted him. How could she believe that Aizen was innocent? Well, considering how much he meant to her, she was probably unable to think anything else. Aizen was the center of her world and should it crumble, Hinamori would crumble too.

Hitsugaya sighed. There was once a time when Momo didn't use to be like this. She used to be strong in her own right, though even back then she tended to latch onto people. She just couldn't bear to be alone. And Aizen realized that weakness and exploited it mercilessly. He had strengthened her bond with him and weakened her bonds with everybody else. It had happened so gradually that they didn't even notice and weren't alarmed by it. And now, when Aizen showed his true colors, if Hinamori's bond with him were broken, the weakened bonds with other people wouldn't be enough to support her.

Or won't they? Hitsugaya had to wonder. They used to be so close once. Maybe, just maybe they could get close again now that Aizen was gone? Maybe Momo will be like she used to be again? Or was it all just a foolish hope and Hinamori was too far gone to be helped? He didn't know.

"_**The bond isn't going to strengthen if you don't talk to her,"**_Hyourinmaru pointed out.

"_You're right," _Hitsugaya sighed. He hadn't talked to Hinamori since the day in the hospital. He didn't have the time, drowning in paperwork and all, but he realized that it was more of an excuse than anything else. He was afraid to face the girl again. He was afraid that she will defend her traitor of a captain again. But hiding in his office wasn't helping anything.

With a sigh, he left his desk with all the paperwork, (it wasn't going anywhere, though it would surely multiply during his absence), grabbed his zanpakutou and headed towards Hinamori's house.

He reached the premises of the Fifth Division shortly. Once he arrived there, he was struck by the change it underwent in the last week. It always used to be a cheerful, well-kept division. The shinigami walking its corridors were always smiling and polite. Now it was full of people with bowed heads, hunched shoulders and sad or empty eyes. The previously pristine walkways were now smudged with dirt and there even were occasional pieces of litter nobody bothered to pick up. It was a truly depressing sight. But it was no wonder. The Fifth had lost their captain when he had revealed himself as a traitor and leader of a conspiracy and their lieutenant seemed to have lost her marbles. Both were terrible blows to the spirits of Fifth Division members.

Hitsugaya walked through it all swiftly, barely responding to the greetings of those he met. Soon he arrived at his destination. He knocked on the door of Hinamori's room. For a while, there was no response. But he could feel Hinamori's reiatsu on the other side clearly. Was she ignoring him on purpose? But then the door opened and the girl stood there. She didn't seem angry, which was a good sign, but there were signs of unease in her posture.

"Hello," he said hesitantly.

"Hello," she replied, sounding just as unsure as he did.

"May I come in?" He didn't know whether he was asking too much, but he didn't want to talk to her in the hallway where anybody could hear. Hinamori looked conflicted for a moment before answering.

"Sure," she said and made way for him. He walked inside. Hinamori's room was as clean and orderly as ever. Nothing suggested that its owned was suffering a mental breakdown. Hitsugaya decided that it was a good sign. Then he focused on the girl residing there again. She looked younger, more fragile and more innocent than usual. It might have been because she wore a civilian yukata instead of her usual shinigami uniform and her hair was down for once, but more likely it was because she was hurting and vulnerable.

"So what did you come here for?" she asked.

"Can't I just visit you?" he retorted.

"I can't remember the last time you came to just visit me," she pointed out. Hitsugaya looked a bit ashamed. He couldn't remember the last time either.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I shouldn't have neglected you."

"Don't worry about it," she smiled, but it was an uncertain half-smile. "I've been neglecting you too."

"Huh?" He really didn't expect her to say that and could only blink in surprise.

"I've been so focused at Aizen-taichou that I kept forgetting about everybody else." Now that was seriously out of character. Hitsugaya was getting worried. Just what was going on in Momo's head? "I realized I've been acting like a fool. But Aizen-taichou meant so much for me. But I've been thinking about it a lot. Aizen-taichou did do some bad things. I... I can't really support him anymore."

Hitsugaya just stared. Did she really mean it? Or was she just saying so to get back into the active service? His confusion must have been apparent on his face because Momo smiled.

"What? Is it so incomprehensible that I can change my opinion, Shiro-chan?"

"Don't..." Hitsugaya started, but then he stopped. This discussion was too serious to get worked up over Momo's form of address. "No," he said instead. "I just never thought I'd see the day you'd say something not nice about Aizen."

"I wouldn't have thought so too," Hinamori stated. Then she shook her head. "This feels so weird. But, Shiro-chan, I owe you an apology. I've yelled at you when you've been right."

"Don't worry about it, Momo," the young captain said trying to sound reassuring.

"Now I see that Aizen wasn't as I thought he was. I want to make up for my behavior. But I can't do it while I'm stuck here."

"I'll see what I can do," Hitsugaya said. He felt relieved. So Momo was finally coming around. It was obvious that she was still confused and couldn't fully believe that Aizen was the bad guy, but at least she didn't see him as perfect anymore. That was progress. She had still a long way to go, but he was confident that she'd make it. And he'd be there to help her. It would be great to have his friend back again.

* * *

><p><strong><span>End Note:<span> **Soifon's past here is the same as in **Stinging Bee,**read that in case it got you interested.


	7. Hollow

**Author's note: **Chapter 7 finally here. Comes with a lot more action than the last one, though it isn't as long. Also there's an illustration on my DeviantArt profile, link in my author's profile page. My faithful readers should already know this.

Enough rambling, now read and enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**The Importance of the Name – Hollow**

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Ichigo sighed as he watched the Hollow disintegrate into reishi. This fight had taken more out of him than he had expected. Not that the Hollow had been tough. On the contrary, it had been pretty weak. He should have been able to purify it in one strike. But the moment he had unsheathed Zangetsu and prepared to deliver the finishing blow, he had heard _it. _The unhinged laughter of that thing that dwelt deep within his soul. He had been so shocked by the sound that he had completely lost concentration. The memories of the time when that thing had taken over during his fight with Ichimaru resurfaced. Only the sensation of sharp pain in his arm woke him up. The Hollow he had been facing had capitalized on his distraction and attacked. Ichigo flashed away and watched as his torn sleeve was being dyed red with blood. _Damn it, _he cursed. How could he had let such a measly little Hollow actually wound him?

"_You're weak, Ichigo," _a voice had spoken in his mind. He had barely heard it, yet he knew it was actually a loud roar, just coming from a great distance. It was accompanied by the sensation of two yellow eyes with black sclera watching him hatefully from a sneering white face. It was nearly enough to make him lose his composure again. But he couldn't afford that. The Hollow in front of him was attacking again. He grabbed Zangetsu and swung it down, cutting the Hollow in half.

But the Hollow inside him refused to disappear so easily. He could still hear the echoes of its maniacal laughter, reminding him that it could come back at any time, stronger than it was before. The thought scared Ichigo. Though the monster had helped him greatly during his fight against Ichimaru, he had no desire to experience something like that again. It had been so hard to regain control over his body. What if the next time he didn't manage? He just couldn't afford that. That thing inside him had to go.

He heard a faint voice that sounded almost like 'try it.' He was sure that the white copy of himself was laughing at him, daring him to try.

"I will," Ichigo promised. "I will get rid of you. You are just a Hollow, aren't you? That means you can be killed like one." The only answer was a faint, almost imperceptible echo of laughter.

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"Hey, Getaboushi!" Ichigo called as he walked into Urahara's shop in his shinigami form.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san," Tessai greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Is Urahara here?" the Substitute Shinigami asked.

"Hello, Ichigo," the green-clad man in question waved merrily, entering the room. "What brings you here today?"

"I need to use your underground room," the redhead answered.

"Of course," Urahara smiled. It was getting on Ichigo's nerves. "So what do you need it for? Some training? I see you're hurt."

"It's nothing," Ichigo stated.

"I can sell you a perfect remedy," the shopkeeper offered.

"No," Kurosaki cut him off. After Rukia's experience with the gigai, he was a bit wary of Urahara's merchandise.

"Well, let's go," the blond man shrugged, opening the hatch. The two of them climbed down the ladder. "May I ask you why you decided to train now?" the shopkeeper inquired once they were down. "I thought you'd want to enjoy the last day of your summer vacation after everything that happened."

"I can't afford to wait."

"Oh, I see. So what kind of training do you want to do today?" the exiled captain wanted to know.

"I want to kill that Hollow thing inside me," Ichigo informed him. Urahara raised an eyebrow. Probably. It was hard to tell in the shadow of his hat. "Don't look so surprised. Yoruichi must have told you about it."

"She did," Urahara confirmed. "But don't you think you're being too rash? Do you even know what to do about it?"

"It's a Hollow," Kurosaki shrugged. "I'll purify it."

"Are you sure it's going to be so easy?" the green-clad man questioned.

"Do you have a better idea?" Ichigo replied.

"Yoruichi said she told you about the Visored," the shopkeeper stated. "They know how to deal with it."

"So where are they?" the redhead asked. He had to agree that having some help might be good.

"I don't know," Urahara shrugged. "They should show up here eventually."

"When?" Ichigo questioned.

"I don't know," the shopkeeper repeated his statement.

Ichigo debated waiting for them. But as he did so, he thought he could hear a faint echo of the deranged laughter. It sent cold shivers down his spine. That made his decision. "I can't afford to wait," he said. "They might not even come. Do you see this?" he showed his wounded arm to Urahara. "A stupid weak Hollow did this. Because that thing distracted me. I don't want to even think of what would happen if I had to fight somebody strong and that thing did it again." He paused for a moment. "I think that thing is getting stronger. I'm not completely sure, but I think it's best to destroy it while it's still weak."

"I see you've decided," Urahara said.

"I did," the redhead confirmed.

"So how do you plan to do it?"

"I'll find it in my inner world and fight it until it's dead," the redhead stated his plan.

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," the exiled scientist voiced his opinion.

"Do you have a better plan?" Ichigo shrugged.

"Other than waiting for the Visored? No."

"Well, then this discussion is over. I want to start immediately."

Ichigo sat on the ground cross-legged, laying Zangetsu on his lap. He closed his eyes, trying to enter his Inner World. Urahara observed him intently for a while. He didn't know much about the battles with Inner Hollows, the Visored didn't talk about them, but he wouldn't be worthy of calling himself a scientist if he knew nothing. And what he knew indicated that the next hour or so was going to be very eventful.

"Tessai!" he called.

"Manager?" the huge man immediately appeared at the top of the ladder.

"Come down here. We're going to have lots of work."

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Entering his Inner World took him a while. He was getting better at it, but there was still a lot of improving to do. But that could wait. There were bigger concerns to worry about right now. Namely defeating the white monster. He wasn't afraid. He had defeated it once before and this time he had Zangetsu on his side. It was going to be easier this time. He knew he still would have to fight with his all, but he didn't doubt he was going to win. What he was worried about was that he might not be able to completely destroy him even if he did win. The last time he had faced his white double in battle, Zangetsu had intervened before he could strike the finishing blow. What if it happened again? Or worse, what if the Hollow refused to disappear even when Ichigo cut it? Well, he wasn't going to solve it just by standing around. He was going to fight it and see.

"Ichigo," Zangetsu's voice welcomed him into the sideways city.

"Old man," the redhead replied.

"You chose to fight a dangerous battle, Ichigo," the sword spirit said in a grave tone.

"Are you telling me I shouldn't do this?" the boy asked. His tone made it clear that his mind was set.

"No," Zangetsu shook his head. "I know you have to do it just as well as you do. I am just warning you. He became much stronger since you last faced him."

"Then I should take him out before he becomes even stronger," Kurosaki replied. Zangetsu said nothing. He disappeared. A moment later, the white Hollow appeared.

"Long time no see, King," it sneered. It was really abhorrent to look at. Its face was the same Ichigo looked at every day in the mirror, but its expression was all wrong. It was twisted with anger, hate and bloodlust. Ichigo wanted to destroy it.

"Too long," he said. He should have annihilated this thing sooner. It seemed to have gained too much power already. "I don't know who or what you are and what are you doing here, but I'm going to destroy you now."

"That was cold, partner," the Hollow pouted. The expression seemed mocking on its face. "How can you not know me? I'm Zangetsu."

"You?" Ichigo asked incredulously. "You're not Zangetsu."

"I am," the Hollow insisted. "Me and Zangetsu are one and the same."

"You don't look that way," Ichigo pointed out.

"What does it matter?" the Hollow shrugged. "When there are two entities sharing the same body, the appearance changes depending on which one is stronger. As my power becomes stronger, Zangetsu becomes part of me."

"Then let's put a stop to it," Ichigo stated.

"Didn't you listen?" the Hollow taunted. "Zangetsu and I were always one and the same. You can't stop it."

"You say you are the same as Zangetsu, yet you speak like you are separate," Ichigo observed. "It even looks like you are separate."

"We are both parts of your spiritual power," the Hollow answered.

"Is that so?" The redhead was taken aback. He had always considered the Hollow something alien, something that had no place being within him, but if it really was a part of his power... uh, what was he doing, believing everything that thing said. It was the enemy here. Of course it would try to play mind games with him.

"Yeah," the Hollow grinned. "How else could I wield this?" It whipped out a sword. It was Zangetsu and it wasn't Zangetsu; the shape was the same, but the colors were all wrong. Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. His hand grasped the hilt of his own weapon instinctively, checking that the zanpakutou was still there. It was. Ichigo drew it in one swift motion. For this battle, he was going to need it. It was unexpected and unwelcome that the Hollow could wield Zangetsu too and he didn't understand how it was possible, but it didn't change a thing. Ichigo still had to defeat it and the fact that the battle was going to be tougher than he had expected didn't matter.

"Don't look so surprised," the Hollow sneered. "I told you I am Zangetsu."

"And I say you aren't," Ichigo retorted. "Looks like we aren't going to convince each other. Enough talking."

"Just what I wanted to say," the Hollow grinned. It sprang forward, opening the fight with a wild slash.

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"That should hold him," Tessai said as he completed the Second Song of Bakudou #99: Bankin. Ichigo's body was completely hidden beneath ribbons of spiritual thread reinforced with numerous metal spikes.

"Bakudou #99? Feels like an overkill," Urahara said.

"I beg to disagree, manager. Remember what happened when we restored his power?"

"Yes," the green clad man grimaced. He could perfectly recall how the teenager broke from exactly the same spell. And he had gained a lot more power since then. Exactly at the same moment, dark reiatsu emitted from the cocoon on the ground.

"It's beginning," Tessai stated.

"Indeed," Urahara commented.

"Shouldn't we have taken away his zanpakutou?"

"No," the shopkeeper shook his head. "That could give him trouble in his fight with his inner Hollow."

"Well, now it's going to give trouble to us," the big man pointed out.

"Look at it from the bright side," Urahara suggested. "Can you imagine how much trouble we'd be in if Ichigo lost?"

"You call that the brighter side?"

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Ichigo blocked the Hollow's initial attack. He was a bit taken aback by the strength behind it. But it was nothing he couldn't handle. He pushed back. The Hollow jumped back, grinning crazily. It immediately attacked again. Ichigo dodged and swung his sword at the Hollow's side. It evaded. Ichigo tried to press his attack, but it somehow managed a counterattack that made Ichigo scramble away lest he'd lose an arm.

The redhead narrowed his eyes. This opponent was good. Very good. Maybe even better than him. But that didn't matter. Ichigo was still going to win, it didn't matter how.

They exchanged blows for a while longer. Ichigo was being pushed back, but he could hold his own. But the fact that the Hollow was having the upper hand here didn't sit well with him. _Time to do something about it._

"Getsuga Tenshou!" he called the next time their swords locked. The bluish white energy enveloped his sword, exploding right in the Hollow's face. Or it would have if it didn't dodge. This way only one of its sleeves was signed.

"That's more like it, King," it grinned. But it isn't nearly enough! Getsuga Tenshou!" The white blade was enveloped in black energy. Ichigo's eyes widened. It looked exactly like his Bankai attack! He didn't want to find out the hard way whether it was just as strong too. He quickly dodged out of the way. He watched as the black Getsuga Tenshou smashed into one of the skyscrapers and shattered its windows. The Hollow used this moment of distraction to get behind his back. Ichigo barely sensed its killing intent in time to dodge a fatal blow. He escaped with only a shallow gash on his back. He scowled. This wasn't going well.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" he called again swinging his sword down, making the attack as concentrated as he could. The Hollow only grinned and stood calmly in its path. Then, just when the crescent of destructive energy was about to impact, he swung his sword down and cut the attack in two. Ichigo could only stare.

"Why are you so surprised?" his white double raised an eyebrow. "I gave this technique to you. Of course I can tell exactly when it's going to land and how to counter it."

"Don't start on the crap of you being Zangetsu again," Ichigo growled.

"But I am," the Hollow grinned.

"I don't believe it."

"Your problem, King," the white apparition grinned and attacked. Ichigo blocked and tried to kick him. The Hollow twisted out of the way. Both combatants jumped back, eyeing each other.

_Time to bring out the big guns, _Ichigo thought. _I'd like to see the monster counter this. _He held Zangetsu horizontally in front of him. He saw the Hollow mirroring his action. At the moment, he didn't think much of it.

"Bankai!" he called.

"Bankai!" the Hollow echoed. _Crap, _Ichigo thought. Reiatsu whirled around both of them. When it settled down, it revealed two figures, identical in shape but inverted in colors. Ichigo wasn't surprised by the Hollow's appearance, just by the fact that it could perform Bankai. It was so unfair.

"How did you..."

"How?" the Hollow replied before he could finish his question. "What a dumb thing to ask, King. I could do it ever since you could."

Ichigo didn't feel like listening to him anymore. He attacked. The Hollow blocked his slash one-handed and laughed.

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Urahara and Tessai watched as Ichigo struggled inside his cocoon. They both remembered how he had broken out of the very same spell right after regaining his shinigami powers. But this time the former captain of the Kidou Corps cast the Bakudou with its full incantation. It was much stronger than the hastily cast version he was forced to use the last time. It could contain much greater power. No matter how much Ichigo pushed, it didn't give.

"It looks like it will be enough," Tessai observed.

"It looks that way for now," the former captain of the Twelfth Division said.

"What do you mean?" his companion questioned. Just as he said it, the reiatsu emanating from the bound youth skyrocketed.

"This," Urahara said needlessly. Black reiatsu became visible around the cocoon and the spiritual fabric began to tear. The shopkeeper bared the sword concealed in his cane. "Get ready. We'll have to fight him." Together they waited for when Ichigo would get out.

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Black and white swords clashed and then clashed again. Ichigo and his white double exchanged blows. At first glance, their fight seemed even. But Ichigo know that it wasn't so. It was usually he who had to defend and he rarely got to try any offensive. The Hollow wasn't really winning, but it definitely had the upper hand. That wasn't good. If it continued to press the offensive, then sooner or later one of its attacks would get through. And if he sustained any further injury, the fight would get that much harder for him. The gash on his back was already stinging like hell and making it hard to concentrate. That ruled out trying to come up with a complicated plan, but Ichigo wasn't one for making them anyway. He opted for something simple instead.

The next time the Hollow slashed at him, Ichigo sidestepped and tried to grab his arm. It didn't work, but the white copy had to jerk its arm away to avoid his grip. That left him open for an attack for a moment. Ichigo waited for nothing and slashed at the Hollow's unprotected side. He was more than a bit surprised when it didn't even try to protect itself, instead stepping forward. Tensa Zangetsu bit into the white body. In the same time Ichigo felt pain blossoming in his own side. His eyes widened in surprise. The Hollow grinned.

"You left yourself wide open too, Your Majesty," it said, making sure to make the address sound as sarcastic as possible. Then both combatants jumped back. Ichigo checked his wound. It wasn't as bad as he feared. He could still fight. Then he looked at the white apparition. And stared. Something that looked like foam bubbled from the wound. It covered it completely. After a few seconds, the foam disappeared. There was now no sign that there had ever been a wound.

"Instant regeneration," the Hollow grinned. "But it seems like you can't do it properly, King."

"That's just not fair," Ichigo said before he could stop himself.

"Not fair?" his white double raised an eyebrow. "No. It's just that you are so pathetic and weak, Ichigo." Then it attacked again and Ichigo blocked. The battle was still on. And no matter that the Hollow had clearly the upper hand now, the redhead was still determined to win. No matter what.

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"Nake, Benihime!" Urahara cried, swinging his sword wide. A blast of crimson energy separated from the blade, meeting the black Getsuga Tenshou halfway. Both attacks canceled each other with a blast. Urahara wiped the sweat from his brow. This took more energy than he had expected. Ichigo had broken out of the bindings over half an hour ago and he was just as berserk as they had feared but even stronger than they thought possible. The exiled captain was forced to call on his shikai within minutes lest he'd been obliterated by the crazy monster. And monster was the right word to describe Ichigo now.

He was in Bankai now. Most of his body looked human, but the parts that didn't made up for it. His face was completely covered by mask. Urahara knew that behind it the redhead was grinning manically. It was a stark contrast to Ichigo's usual expression. He had seen enough of the expression before the mask covered it fully and obscured the view. All that remained visible of Ichigo's face were his eyes, only they didn't look like Ichigo's eyes anymore. They were glowing yellow with black sclera and they contained nothing but madness and bloodlust. They were the same as the eyes of the worst of Hollows. And to assure him that the likeness with the fallen souls wasn't accidental, something was bubbling in the middle of Ichigo's chest. It looked as if a hole was opening there. Considering what was going on, it probably was. Urahara wished he knew more about the Visored. Was this normal? Or was it a sign that Ichigo's fight was going downhill? There was no way to know and nothing to do about it. He had to concentrate on his own fight, or he'd be killed.

Berserk Ichigo moved with lightning speed, appearing behind Urahara's back, intent on cleaving him in half with Tensa Zangetsu. But Urahara had trained with Shihouin Yoruichi for much longer than Ichigo was alive, so avoiding the strike was no big feat for him. Ichigo pursued his attack. A hexagonal crimson shield stopped it. Kurosaki didn't even pause and beat at it. _It's good he has no sense of tactics in this form, _Urahara thought.

"Bakudou #75: Gochuutekkan!" Tessai's voice boomed. Five pillars of iron connected by chains appeared above the berserk, who was still beating at the Blood Mist Shield, and pinned him to the ground. Ichigo screamed in outrage and black reiatsu swirled around him. The pillars began to crack.

"Shibari, Benihime!" Urahara called. Deep red net sprang from his zanpakutou's blade, pinning Kurosaki to the ground before he could break out of the Gochuutekkan.

"Bakudou #99: Kin!" Tessai called. Black spiritual fabric enveloped Ichigo, shortly followed by iron rods. The enraged shout coming from inside of the cocoon was muffled.

"I'm not sure I have the energy left to cast another Bankin, manager," Tessai said, panting slightly.

"I thought you could cast any Kidou anytime," Urahara said, trying to sound chipper but failing due to his fatigue.

"Even I have limits," the former commander of Kidou Corps said.

"I know," Kisuke replied. He too was using this brief reprieve to regain as much energy as possible. Not ten seconds later, there was a ripping sound accompanied by a sudden burst of reiatsu.

"Here we go again," Urahara said, sliding into the on guard position. Tessai next to him lifted his hands in preparation to cast a spell. Together they watched as Ichigo's form burst out of the cocoon and charged at them with an inarticulate yell. His Hollow attributes seemed even more pronounced now. The fight resumed.

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Ichigo panted heavily. He had been fighting the Hollow for what felt like hours and he was nearing his limit. He was bleeding from many wounds and his muscles were protesting every move. The white monster was barely winded and sneering at him maliciously.

"Is that all you got, King? My, my, you sure are pathetic."

Ichigo didn't waste his breath on a reply. Instead he gathered whatever strength he had left and attacked. He couldn't lose here, he just couldn't. The stakes were too high. He had to win, somehow, because the alternative was unthinkable. But it was looking more and more real.

Ichigo's sword whistled through the air, aiming at the Hollow's neck. But the monster blocked it easily and shot the redhead a condescending look.

"Is that all you got? My, you sure are pathetic, King." The last word was spat out.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo shouted. But with his reiryoku largely depleted and with him being unable to swing the sword, the black energy blast did little damage. The Hollow flash-stepped out of the way.

"You call that an attack?" it scoffed. "This is an attack! Getsuga Tenshou!" The white Tensa Zangetsu was swung down and a crescent moon of bluish white energy sprang forward. Ichigo could clearly feel the power contained within it. It was all he could do to get out of the way. He knew that he had no chance of blocking something like that. His suspicion was confirmed when he felt the attack searing his foot despite being barely grazed. The pain made him stumble. His white double capitalized on it. He suddenly appeared in front of Ichigo and grabbed his zanpakutou in an iron grip. Ichigo's attempt to free it was in vain. Is he really so much stronger? Kurosaki thought with fear.

"What's with the drop in skill?" the Hollow asked. "You really can pull just a pathetic imitation of the technique. You really are just a pitiful kid, Ichigo. Losing that Bankai should do you some good."

As the Hollow spoke, the blade of Tensa Zangetsu began turning white in his grip. At first, it was just a small portion of the blade, but it quickly spread towards the hilt. And the white part began crumbling away. Ichigo stared in horror. What was going on? No, he thought, he couldn't allow this. He couldn't lose his zanpakutou. He had to stop this, somehow. He had to defeat the Hollow. But how? He couldn't use his sword.

And then it dawned on him. Rukia had warned him against using it in battle, because he was more likely to hurt himself than his opponent, but he was out of options here. His left arm shot up and reached for the Hollow's face. His fingers came short of actually touching it, but it didn't matter.

"Shakkahou!" he called. A ball of red energy formed in his palm and exploded. Ichigo hissed as his fingers were seared. But the Hollow didn't escape unscatched either. Even botched, the Hadou caused a significant explosion and it had happened right in his face. The Hollow took a step back, coughed and wiped his eyes. It let go of Ichigo's sword in the process.

Kurosaki jumped back in relief. His left hand was nearly useless, clearly in worse shape than the Hollow's face, but at least he had kept his zanpakutou. Even if there was only about a foot left of the blade now. He could still fight.

The Hollow shook off the effects of the explosion and glared at Ichigo.

"Not a bad idea, but your attempt at Kidou was really pathetic," it commented. "If you were any good, you could have blown off my head." Then it grinned maniacally. "But since you didn't, I'm going to blow off yours!" The white Getsuga Tenshou left his sword without a spoken command. Ichigo shunpoed away. The fight continued and the odds were now staked very high against him.

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Berserk Ichigo was holding Tessai by the throat. The master spellcaster hadn't even noticed how did it happen. One moment he had been trying to shoot the berserk with Hadou #88: Hiryuugekizokushintenraihou, having recognized that trying to bind the creature had no effect, the next moment the masked beast stood right in front of him, grabbed him by his throat and lifted him in the air, unhindered by Tessai's greater weight. The eyes in the mask were burning maliciously and the mask itself appeared to be grinning bloodthirstingly. The right arm of Kurosaki's berserk form was drawn back, prepared to bury the black zanpakutou in his flesh. Tessai knew that there was nothing he could do about it. He might have been the head of the Kidou Corps, but even he knew no barrier that would stop Ichigo's monstrously strong attacks and could be erected within the split second he had left to live while being unable to speak, courtesy to the hand strangling him. Even punching the berserk had no effect, Ichigo's strength was so much greater.

"Kamisori, Benihime!" Urahara's voice commanded. In the next instant a beam of crimson energy flashed between Tessai and Ichigo, slicing Ichigo's arm cleanly off. Tessai dropped to the ground. Ichigo howled in shock and stopped attacking for a moment.

"Thanks, manager," Tessai breathed once he could speak again, "but I don't think master Kurosaki will thank us for this."

"I had no choice," the scientist replied. Even with all his speed and Benihime's power, this had been too close for comfort. Not for the first time in this fight, he wondered whether he'd have to release his Bankai. But so far, they could hold their own with just this level of release. He didn't really need to resort to Bankai. _Yet, _a small voice in his head added. It reminded him that if Ichigo's berserk body tried to form a strategy instead of charging blindly at whatever was the closest, they would be in deep trouble.

Meanwhile, white foam bubbled forth from Ichigo's stump. The two shinigami watched as it took the shape of the arm. If the appendage that formed could be called one. It looked more like the limb of some animal, though not any kind Kisuke knew. It looked vaguely reptilian, with its pasty white skin with a red ornament, claws instead of nails and spikes sprouting from the shoulder. It gave Ichigo a more feral appearance. Come to think of it, that wasn't the only thing that made him look more beastly. The nails on his other hand and even on his toes were lengthening too. The hole on his chest was now completely open. His whole body seemed bigger and more muscular.

"Is he losing?" Tessai asked.

"Not yet," Urahara answered, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice, palpable to only those who knew him well. Tessai knew him well and the tone made him worried. He started going through possible strategies of dealing with a berserk super-powerful Hollow on the loose in their basement. Then Ichigo attacked and he had to concentrate fully on survival.

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Ichigo was scared. Truly, honestly scared. His attempt at Kidou had gained him a brief reprieve, but now the Hollow was back, bearing at him with renewed ferocity. And Ichigo's left hand was useless and there was only a stump left of Tensa Zangetsu, incapable of firing a Getsuga Tenshou. The Hollow's sword was still whole and in perfect condition, a fact the white apparition too full advantage of. Ichigo was barely dodging his strikes now and he knew that he couldn't keep this up for long. The exhaustion was setting in. Soon he wouldn't be able to move fast enough and then the Hollow would get him and take over his body. He could only hope that Urahara and Tessai would be able to stop him if that happened.

He was beginning to wonder whether he had made a mistake in challenging the Hollow to fight. But what else could he do? The thing was gradually getting stronger. If he hadn't done anything, it would have devoured him from inside. If he had waited, it would have gotten stronger and then he'd have even more trouble defeating it. Fighting it now seemed like the best option at the time. But maybe he should have waited for the Visored? They might know some better way of dealing with this problem. Or they might not. And there was no telling when and if they would come. So this was really the only thing he could have done.

But now it looked that it wasn't going to be enough. The hollow charged him with a demented smile, obviously relishing his distress. Ichigo saw that there was no way he could dodge in his current condition. He blocked instead, but the sorry remain of Tensa Zangetsu was wrenched from his grip by the power behind the Hollow's attack. The white blade sliced deep into his flesh. The pain stunned him momentarily, but then he jumped back.

The Hollow could have killed him at the moment, but it chose not to. Instead, the white copy of Ichigo grabbed the spinning stub of Tensa Zangetsu from the air. In his grip, the black sword turned white and then crumbled away. Ichigo watched it with a mixture of horror and impotent rage. "Zangetsu..." he whispered in despair.

"That isn't Zangetsu," the Hollow grinned. "As I said, I am Zangetsu."

"And I say you aren't," Ichigo shot back with what little courage he had left. The Hollow didn't answer, just made an angry face. Then it disappeared from Ichigo's view. The next thing he knew the redhead found himself being thrown back by the Hollow's hand in his face. Then his back smashed against one of the sideways skyscrapers.

"As usual, you freak over every little thing that happens to you," the Hollow said disapprovingly. "Ichigo," it addressed him, suddenly looking merry and twirling his zanpakutou on his finger, "can you tell me what the difference between the king and the horse is?"

"What?" Ichigo wasn't in the mood for riddles. He was looking for a way out of this situation, he had no time to look for a solution as well. But as long as the white psycho was talking, it wasn't killing him and that gave him more time to come up with a plan.

"Don't even think about giving me some kids' riddle answer, like one has two legs and the other four or some such nonsense. They're identical in the form, the ability and the power! Almost like the two could have been one existence at one point. But then, the one who fights to rise to the top becomes the king! Whichever one is leftover is to become the horse, lending his power to the king! Now I ask you, what is the difference between the two?"

Ichigo still couldn't come up with a plan that had a snowball's chance in hell of working. He realized that what the Hollow was saying might be actually important. The parable of the king and the horse sounded a lot like their current situation. No matter how much he hated the idea that he and the maniac in front of him might have been one once, they were fighting for dominance now. And whoever lost would serve the other forever, if he wasn't devoured first.

"There's only one answer," the Hollow said, suddenly looking serious again. "Instinct!" it shouted slipping into its customary hyper homicidal mood. "A vital tool for somebody who has equal power, but wishes to seek something more. A vital tool for one who wishes to become the king! With this, the user will naturally be drawn to battles, be drawn to more power and use such to mercilessly obliterate his enemies beyond recognition! Slicing them into pieces, mangling them, all of that for the absolute hunger for battle! Our skin is peeled off, our meet is scooped out, bones crushed, nerves nullified! Every part of us chiseled to the very core! All in order to sharpen our killing instinct! Something you have no knowledge of! Your instinct is too obvious, too normal! You only fight with reason and you always need a reason to cut your opponents! Just who the hell did you think of attacking when your sword was vaporized? You see, this is why you'll be forever weaker than me, Ichigo!"

With those words the Hollow sprang forward. It happened so fast that Ichigo could only look surprised before the white Tensa Zangetsu pierced his chest. A part of his brain informed him that such wound should have killed him on the spot. But he wasn't dead and he didn't feel like dying. He just hung on the Hollow's sword, trying to make sense of everything.

"You must excuse me, Ichigo," the Hollow grinned, "but there's no way I'd let a guy who's weaker than me hop on me and ride me around like a little bitch!" The redhead wondered idly whether the Hollow realized how gay it sounded. A part of his brain reminded him that this wasn't a time for stupid jokes. "I won't tolerate such existence. You are weaker than me, so I'm going to destroy you and then I'll be the one and only king."

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Ichigo's form was fully Hollow now. It wasn't just the left arm that looked like it belonged on some undiscovered kind of dinosaur now. It was his whole body. It kept roughly a human shape, but it was bulky, white with swirling red lines and claws instead of nails. That was easily visible because most of his clothes were destroyed during the fight. They wouldn't fit him now anyway. And to complete the beastly appearance, there was now a thick lizard tail protruding from his back, which seemed to be too high for a tail to sprout, yet there it was. There was nothing human to be found in the figure now.

"It looks like he lost, manager," Tessai said morosely while trying to stop the bleeding from a deep wound on his upper arm. It was one of many wounds he was now sporting. Urahara didn't look much better. His hat was missing, his coat was shredded and blood stained his clothes. He was breathing heavily and sweat soaked whatever part of his attire was untouched by the blood. He didn't answer Tessai's comment, instead watching Ichigo's transformed form intently. He wasn't as ready to give up at his friend, but even he had to admit that things were going badly. But not everything was lost yet in his opinion. Ichigo's reiatsu didn't turn completely Hollow yet. But by his estimation, it wouldn't take long before it did. He still had hope that Ichigo would yet win, but he had to seriously consider the possibility that he wouldn't. So what would he do in that case?

The obvious answer was to release his Bankai and wipe the berserk creature off the face of earth before it could kill anybody. But that felt too much like admitting defeat. They had stacked so much hope on Ichigo. It was unfair to burden somebody so young with so much baggage, but as the saying went, everything was fair in love and war and they were at war with Aizen.

Their main problem was that they didn't have a sufficiently strong warrior who wasn't under the influence of Aizen's illusions, the traitorous captain made sure of that. That's why they needed to find one, and if it proved impossible, create one who was strong enough to destroy Aizen and would be able to tell where the bastard actually was. That was where Ichigo came in. The boy's reiryoku was immense even before he received any training, before he had first met Kuchiki-san. And after he did, it grew beyond his wildest expectation and kept growing. He felt real hope that he had found somebody capable of defeating Aizen. That was why, when Kuchiki-taichou removed the boy's powers, he had decided to use the Shattered Shaft to restore them instead of a safer option. He had been worried for a while there, but it had worked out in the end and he didn't have to deal with a homicidal Isshin. Ichigo had gained even greater power than before and the rescue operation could be launched. They didn't manage to retrieve the Hougyoku, but Urahara knew that they couldn't have everything they wanted.

But now it looked like his gamble was going to fail. Ichigo's transformation to a Hollow was almost complete and the scientist didn't have a means to revert it at hand. If he just had the Hougyoku... but it was in Aizen's hands now. He could do nothing but hope that the boy would succeed in the last moment and prepare to kill him if it became apparent that he had indeed lost. He hoped beyond hope that it wouldn't come to this.

Then everything was bathed in red light. Urahara's eyes widened in shock. Ichigo was charging a Cero. Considering his power, the blast was going to be extremely destructive. Even his Chikasumi no Tate would be shattered. It looked like he had no choice now.

"Dankuu!" Tessai called and a transparent rectangular barrier appeared between them and Ichigo. The scientist knew it wasn't going to be enough. There was only one thing that could save them now. He took a deep breath and prepared to call forth his second release, the form he hadn't unleashed in over a century and for a good reason. It made him feel like he was giving up on Ichigo, but getting killed here would accomplish nothing. He gathered his reiatsu and prepared to speak the words.

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Ichigo felt something spreading into him from the blade, something both chilling and searing at once. He probably should have been scared, but he wasn't. He didn't know why and he didn't care. He felt strangely calm and tranquil in the moment of what should be complete defeat. He didn't feel defeated either.

_Instinct,_ he thought. What did he know about instinct? About fighting for fighting's sake? The first thing that came to mind was Kenpachi. That was somebody who would understand the Hollow perfectly. He too would do anything for a good fight. And he was hurting his own strength for it. The wails of his zanpakutou could still almost bring tears to Ichigo's eyes. That wasn't a way to go for him. But he wanted to win! No matter what. He could never accept defeat. He couldn't afford to lose, so he had to win! Win! WIN! Just fighting was meaningless, it was victory that counted. He had told so to Zangetsu once. And now he was going to show this freak who was trying to convince him that he was Zangetsu what did it mean.

Determination and rage built inside him. He felt warmth and power, something he hadn't felt since he started losing heart when this battle didn't go his way. The sword piercing his chest suddenly didn't matter. The fact that his own weapon was lost didn't matter either. He was going to win and the Hollow was going to understand who was the king soon enough.

With a mighty roar, he pushed forward, sliding along the blade towards the hilt. His white double made a surprised face. Ichigo ignored it. He grabbed the arm holding the hilt. He pushed his reiryoku into his palms. It was just an uncontrolled blast of energy, something that couldn't really be called Kidou. It hurt his fingers, but it hurt the Hollow's forearm too. With a surprised yell, it let go of the weapon. Ichigo quickly pulled it out and prepared to swing the black sword. _Black?_ He didn't pause to wonder why was the sword suddenly black. He concentrated on the enemy.

The Hollow stood a few paces away, studying his forearm. There didn't seem to be a wound, but part of the sleeve was black and it didn't look like a scorch mark.

"So you still have it in you," it said contemplatively before grinning madly. Ichigo ignored it. He concentrated only on killing that thing. He sprang forward, intent to impale it just like the Hollow had impaled him. The white apparition dodged, but not before Ichigo's sword touched its side. Its clothes turned black where the sword connected. The redhead didn't stop to think about it and pressed his attack. His wounds didn't matter anymore. The pain they caused him was a distant thing, not hindering him in any way. The Hollow was able to dodge twice more but on the third attempt Ichigo got him. The black sword slid into the white body.

The Hollow grimaced, its face twisted in rage, as blackness spread from the point where Ichigo's sword pierced him. Then it grinned again, apparently unconcerned with its predicament.

"So you beat me in the end. Guess I still have to call you the king. But don't you forget this." His grin became malicious, even as its body was covered completely in black and began dissolving."There will always be but a slight discrepancy to which one of us is the king and which the horse. That means if you get the slightest bit lazy, that's all it'll take for me to knock you down and trample your skull under my hooves!" Its grin was downright demented now. Ichigo thought that no-one should look so happy after a lost battle.

"Think of it as a warning," the Hollow continued. "If you really intend to use my power, then until I decide to appear the next time, do your best not to die! Because I'll come back and get it!"

With these words, the Hollow finally crumbled away completely. Ichigo watched it with satisfaction. It was finally gone and it wasn't going to bother him anymore. But what if its parting words were true? What if it could come back at some point of time? Well, in that case he'd just beat it again and again until it got the message and stopped trying.

Now the battle was over, the rush left him. Ichigo began to feel every wound on his body again. He dropped to his knees tiredly, but he was smiling . He had won. A dark shape appeared in his field of vision. Was it Zangetsu? Ichigo lifted his head to see, but his vision was turning dark. The skyscrapers of his Inner World disappeared around him.

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The Cero died down. Urahara blinked in surprise. That had been unexpected, but not unwelcome. It meant that he didn't have to release his Bankai yet, which would have meant the death of one of them. But he didn't dare to believe that everything was alright yet. He was too experienced for something like that. So he stood there, Benihime held in front of him and prepared to unleash her Bankai at a moment's notice, and watched what would Ichigo's berserk form do next.

It didn't seem to be doing much. The lizard-like body just stood there, shaking slightly. It was a stark contrast with its earlier murderous fury. It remained like that for a few seconds. Then cracks began appearing in its skin.

"What's that?" Tessai asked. Urahara didn't answer. He didn't dare to say it aloud and jinx them. He wasn't superstitious, but he felt they needed every bit of luck they could get.

Hollow-Ichigo's skin broke into pieces and fell off, like a crushed eggshell. It revealed Ichigo's human figure standing there, clothes torn and face covered by a mask. But there was thankfully no hole through his chest. Then the youth collapsed in the middle of the mess of dissolving Hollow skin. The mask fell off, revealing his face. The eyes were unfocused, but the mouth was curved up in a smile. Urahara walked closer, still holding Benihime cautiously. Smiling Ichigo was suspicious.

"Ichigo?" he said.

"Yes?" the downed teen replied.

"How do you feel?"

"Great," he answered. And he truly did feel great. He had defeated the monster within him. He was alone and at peace in his mind again. And should the white double ever come back, he could just kick his butt again. Life was never better. Then his eyes closed and he passed out.

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The morning of the first day of the new semester felt surreal. It was completely normal. Well, he had woken up at the Urahara Shouten, but thankfully there was no big mustached guy in the bed with him this time, ran home just in time to reclaim his body from Kon before his father's customary wake-up call, dodged and punched the obnoxious idiot in the face without even thinking about it and then went down to eat Yuzu's excellent breakfast. Everything was alright and normal. After the hellish time spent in Soul Society it felt weird. He half-expected Rukia to pop out at any moment and tell him that there was a Hollow he had to purify, but it didn't happen. Rukia was in Soul Society, Hollows stayed wherever they usually stayed when they weren't hunting some poor soul and the breakfast passed as quietly as a meal at the Kurosaki home could ever be. Ichigo realized that he still had the charm his father had given him before he had left to rescue Rukia. It felt as if it had happened a lifetime ago. Was it really just a few weeks? He tried to return the stupid trinket just as old Goat-face wanted when he had given it to him, but now Isshin decided that he didn't want it anymore, so Ichigo kept it.

Then it was time to go to school. He tried to remind himself that his studies were very important for his future life, but after having to fight for his life and with the threat of a maniac with a god-complex somewhere out there, it didn't seem so important anymore.

School was exactly as he remembered it. Keigo tried to tackle him and when Ichigo knocked him down, Mizuiro said something that made his friend cry. Ishida sat in his seat and pretended he didn't even know his comrades. Chad was just as silent as ever. Chizuru glomped Orihime, and Tatsuki hit her on the head. The lesbian collapsed to the ground and showed no sign of getting up.

"I think you might have hit her too hard, Tatsuki-chan," Orihime said staring in shock at the obviously seriously wounded schoolgirl.

"Looks like it," Tatsuki admitted. She hadn't taken into account how much her power had grown recently. That might present a problem. If Chizuru's injuries were serious, she might get expelled from the school and have trouble with the police. But fortunately Orihime was a miraculous healer and managed to restore Chizuru to her former health discreetly. Chizuru took it as a declaration of love and tried to kiss Orihime. Tatsuki hit her again, this time with less strength. Chizuru now sported a large bump on her head, but she wasn't concussed.

As more people trickled into the classroom, they began asking where had the group been during the summer. Everybody lied to their best ability, only Orihime told the truth. Nobody believed her.

Then in the middle of the second period Ichigo's badge went off, he ran out with a flimsy excuse and proceeded to purify the Hollow. No voice from the depth of his soul spoke to him, so he had no trouble with it. Everything was normal.

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_**-HOLLOW!- -HOLLOW!- -HOLLOW!- -HOLLOW!-**_

Ichigo groaned. Why did Hollows have to pick the worst times to attack? He had wanted to go to sleep finally, he was tired. And why did the badge have to be so loud? A tenth of its volume would be enough. But at least this gave him an excuse to get away from Kon, who had been bugging him about not bringing Rukia back. He quickly put the shrieking badge to use by utilizing it to get out of his body, get Kon out of the plushy, making at least him shut up finally, putting Kon into his body and telling him to behave. Then, slightly worried about the state he'd find his body in, he headed out to exterminate the Hollow.

Finding the creature took him a while, but his ability to sense reiatsu was slowly getting better, so it didn't take him the whole night. Purifying the Hollow took only one strike.

"That was easy," Ichigo said. He remembered how not so long ago a Hollow of this strength would have been enough to give him trouble. Now it required barely any effort.

"Aaah! Who the heck are you?! Why are you dressed like a shinigami?" a loud and annoying voice snapped him out of his musings. Ichigo turned around. There stood a shinigami with the most ridiculous hairstyle he had ever seen and that was counting Kenpachi. Or maybe he was being unfair, the newcomer had just a really ugly afro. But more worrying was that Ichigo had no idea the guy had been there until he spoke. It looked like he had a still a lot to improve in the reiatsu-sensing field. Though his lapse to detect Afro-san's presence might have been due to the fact that he had barely any reiatsu.

"Who are you?" Ichigo shot back. He knew this fellow for less than a minute and he already didn't like him. The bloke puffed his chest.

"I am Kurumadani Zennosuke! I am the shinigami hand-picked to replace Miss Kuchiki Rukia, who was arrested for some crime! Does that impress you?" No, it didn't impress Ichigo one bit, but he was too polite to say it aloud. Though if the fellow continued to try his patience, that would soon change.

"I am Kurosaki Ichigo," he introduced himself. "Substitute shinigami. Here's the seal of approval." He showed Afro-san the badge.

"What? What's that?" Afro-guy looked confused. "I've never heard of it."

"What the hell?" Ichigo muttered. He had lived under the impression that people like him weren't uncommon. And now this moron had never heard of them? Though he was a moron, so it probably didn't mean much.

_**-HOLLOW!- -HOLLOW!- -HOLLOW!- -HOLLOW!-**_

The badge started screaming again. There was another Hollow. Ichigo concentrated to locate its presence. Then he headed off in that direction.

"Hey, where are you going?" Afro-san screamed, but the redhead ignored him. He had more pressing issues to deal with than a self-important moron.

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Ishida was cursing his luck. Why did this particular Hollow have to pick him? Couldn't it sense that he was powerless? He wasn't going to be tasty! That said, he had no intention to go down without a fight. He wasn't defenseless. He still had a collection of silver tubes filled with reiryoku he could use to fight with. But he soon learned that they weren't going to do him any good. The Hollow was very powerful, almost certainly a Menos Grande, and he could inflict only light wounds on it. And said wounds disappeared in an eyeblink thanks to that creature's instant regeneration. It looked like he was screwed. For the umpteenth time he cursed his decision to use Letzt Stil against Kurotsuchi. If he hadn't sacrificed his Quincy powers to kill the monster, and fail at the task, he could have just used his bow now and make a pincushion of that thing. But because he had acted on his anger and hate, he was defenseless now, about to be devoured.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" A crescent of blue-white light shot over Uryuu's head and hit the Hollow straight in its masked face. The colossus stumbled. In the next moment, Ichigo appeared on its shoulder and cleaved its head in half. The Hollow began to disintegrate into a cloud of reishi.

"Having trouble, Ishida?" Kurosaki called.

"Not until you showed up," Uryuu retorted. Though he had thought he was going to die, now he thought he was going to die of embarrassment. There was nothing more humiliating for the Quincy than getting saved by a shinigami. Especially when said shinigami was the annoying carrot-top. But some part of him was glad that he was still alive.

Then something caught Ishida's attention. His head snapped up. His eyes widened in shock. The bottom half of the Hollow was still there and it leapt straight at Kurosaki, obviously trying to swallow him in one bite. And the Substitute stood with his back to it, unable to see the danger he was in and thanks to his reiatsu-sensing trouble, unable to sense it either. But fortunately Ichigo noticed his classmate's sudden distress and looked over his shoulder. He spotted the attack just in time to lift Zangetsu in front of him. The impact knocked him to the ground, but he didn't get eaten.

Ishida pulled out a handful of his silver tubes and threw them at the Hollow. His shame wouldn't be so bad if he managed to save Kurosaki in return. He chanted the words for Holy Devouring again. He could hear faint sounds of struggle as Ichigo tried in vain to get up, but the weight currently crushing him was preventing him from moving.

"Heizen!" Uryuu called. The silver energy exploded and the Hollow roared in pain. It jumped up, facing Ishida. Probably. It had no face so it was hard to tell.

Ichigo got to his feet. He looked a bit ruffled, but otherwise unharmed. And he was pissed.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" he called. The crescent of energy hit the Hollow point blank. It roared again, falling to the ground. Ichigo was upon it in an instant. A couple more sword strikes and it was over. The Hollow was gone.

"That was close," Ichigo said. "Why didn't you shoot it when it first appeared?"

"None of your business," Uryuu snapped back. That fact that he was powerless hurt enough. Did Kurosaki have to poke in it? Or did he really not realize that Ishida couldn't use his Quincy power anymore?

"What's wrong?" the redhead blinked. He was used to Ishida's rude and dismissive behavior, but this sounded worse than usual.

"Nothing's wrong," the Quincy insisted. He hoped that Kurosaki would get the hint and drop the subject, but he forgot he was dealing with Kurosaki. He was too dense to take hints.

Ichigo said nothing, but he tried to feel Ishida with his spiritual senses. But no matter how he concentrated, he couldn't feel Ishida. At first he thought that it was his fault, but then he realized that there was really nothing to feel.

"Your power..." he said in shock.

"Yes. So what?" Uryuu shrugged, trying to convey the message that he really didn't want to talk about it. He could have spared himself the effort.

"What happened?" Ichigo inquired. Ishida decided he might as well answer. It might get the annoying carrot-top out of his hair sooner.

"In the fight against Kurotsuchi I removed the Sanrei Glove. That gave me a tremendous boost of power, but only for a short while. All the energy burned my spiritual core. I lost my Quincy power."

"What?" Ichigo blinked, taken aback. "When will your power return?"

"It won't," Uryuu sighed. "The loss is permanent."

"That's... are you sure?"

"Yes," Ishida confirmed. "That's what Sensei said."

"Maybe he didn't know everything," the shinigami suggested.

"Don't insult Sensei," Uryuu scowled. "He was a wise man."

"I don't mean that he wasn't," Ichigo said hurriedly, "but nobody can know everything. Maybe there's somebody who can heal you. Have you asked?"

"I haven't told anybody."

"Why?" Kurosaki didn't understand. "Maybe somebody could help you."

"And maybe they couldn't and then everybody would pity me," he added with bitterness.

"So you'd rather get eaten by a Hollow," Ichigo pointed out. "Come to think of it, you could see it, couldn't you?"

"Yes," Uryuu nodded.

"Then at least some of your power remains," the redhead smiled. "There just have to be somebody who can heal you."

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Ishida sighed. "The loss of power is permanent."

"So you want to just mope and accept your fate? I thought you were more of a fighter. There were so many amazing healers in Soul Society. Like that captain, Unohana or something. She's supposed to be the best at healing ever. Why didn't you ask her?"

"Ask a shinigami for help?" Uryuu almost spat.

"Ay, your pride of the Quincy," Ichigo rolled his eyes. "So what about Inoue? She isn't a shinigami. And she could heal me when Aizen nearly cut me in half."

Ishida paused. Despite Kurosaki being a moron, there was some merit in his words. Maybe Inoue-san would be able to help. For the first time in what felt like eternity, though in reality it was less than two weeks, he felt hope.

"I'll ask her tomorrow."

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Ishida met Orihime after school, when she and Tatsuki were walking home.

"Can I speak with Inoue about something?" he asked.

"Sure," Orihime answered. Ishida started leading her to the place where he had trained before their trip to the Soul Society. Then he noticed Tatsuki was following them.

"In private," he said.

"Should I let Orihime go alone with a boy?" Tatsuki questioned. "Somebody has to keep her eye on her."

"I think Inoue-san is old enough to take care of herself," Uryuu stated.

"She's too nice to stand up for herself," Tatsuki countered.

"I'm not going to try anything untoward, I promise," the currently depowered Quincy said.

"I'm still not letting her go alone," Arisawa insisted. Ishida sighed. It looked like he wasn't going to get rid of Orihime's self-appointed chaperone. But at least it was Arisawa and not Kurosaki. He could get on with the karate champion much better than with the insufferable carrot-top.

"Let's go," he said. The two girls followed him. They soon arrived at the secluded place near the waterfall.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Tatsuki asked. Ishida took a deep breath. Talking about this hurt, but he had to do it if he wanted help.

"You already heard that I fought Captain Kurotsuchi in Soul Society." Both of the girls nodded.

"You actually defeated a captain," Orihime added. "That must have been awesome." Ishida sighed. While he liked Inoue's wide-eyed admiration very much, though he'd never admit it aloud, he wouldn't call the battle 'awesome.' 'Fiasco' was more like it.

"Doing so wasn't easy," he said. "I had to restore to some desperate moves."

"I can imagine," Tatsuki said, nodding empathetically. She remembered her own encounters with captains and she knew that she would have no chance of winning against any of them, desperate moves or not.

"I doubt you can," Uryuu replied.

"So what was it like?" Orihime wanted to know.

"I couldn't fight with my regular power, so I had to use the ultimate power of Quincy."

"The ultimate power?" Orihime echoed. Ishida nodded and started explaining.

"The Sanrei glove I put on before we left is a powerful spiritual ward, making the collection of reishi from environment very hard."

"But didn't that make you weaker, Ishida-kun?" Orihime wondered.

"It feels like that at first, but a Quincy who can activate his bow with the glove on and keep it active for seven days and nights, reaches the peak of Quincy power."

"Handicap training, I see," Tatsuki nodded. "But why did you still wear it in Soul Society?"

"Once the Sanrei glove is put on, it cannot be removed," the boy answered.

"So you wanted to wear a glove for your whole life?" Orihime questioned. "That must be impractical. I mean, how do you wash the hand or scratch it when it itches?

"If you put it that way, it doesn't sound very smart," Uryuu admitted, "but we were going to fight a powerful enemy. I needed all the power I could get."

"That makes sense," Tatsuki said, "but it's still pretty drastic."

"You don't know the half of it," Ishida sighed. "Once the glove is removed, I gain a tremendous amount of power. But I can keep it up only for a while. The energy is too much for any Quincy to control and it would inevitably burn me from inside out. Thanks to it, I was able to beat Kurotsuchi, but I lost my Quincy power."

"That's terrible," Orihime said.

"Will it ever heal?" Tatsuki asked.

"That's what I wanted to talk to Inoue-san about."

"Oh!" the red-haired girl exclaimed as if she just realized something she should have realized a long time ago. "I'm not very good at restoring reiryoku, but I'll do what I can. Souten Kisshun!" Her hairpins glowed and the two fairies flew from them, enveloping Ishida in a golden cocoon. Orihime gazed at it intently, her lips moving slightly. She seemed to be communicating with her Shun Shun Rikka. After a while, she nodded.

"You're badly burned inside," she said, "but it's just a wound. I can reject it. But it will take a long time. I'm not as good healing spiritual wounds as physical ones."

"That's alright," Uryuu replied, sounding immensely relieved. "It doesn't matter how long it takes, just that you can do it."

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In the end, the healing took a lot longer than they expected. They encountered an unexpected problem, though in hindsight they should have seen it coming. When Orihime rejected the burns on Ishida's spirit, it returned him to the state just after removing the Sanrei glove, making him gather reishi at great speeds and burn himself again. Orihime had to reject the effects of his training too, most of it, and heal the newly appearing burns as well. It was extremely exhausting. The only reason she managed was because the reishi density in Karakura was much lower than in Soul Society and the damage wasn't appearing so fast. When Uryuu's ability to collect reishi was finally at a manageable level, the girl was completely exhausted and barely able to stand. Tatsuki had to support her.

But everybody was happy. Ishida's powers were back. The Quincy celebrated it by forming his bow, which now glowed brighter than it used to, and firing several arrows. Watching them fly and pierce the rocks made him feel the happiest he had been in a long time. He had thought that he wouldn't be able to do this ever again. He resolved to never try anything so stupid again and never touch another Sanrei Glove, should he ever find any. And when he'd need more power, he'd just train.

* * *

><p><strong>End Note: <strong>Not much to say here. I hope it didn't disappoint. Next chapter comes in another month or so.


	8. Arrivals

**Author's note: **So the promised chapter is finally here. I hope it won't disappoint. There's an illustration on my DA profile, link in my Author's profile page. Next chapter should come out in another month.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**The Importance of the Name - Arrivals**

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"Can I come in, Ichi-nii?" The knock on the door and Karin's voice gave Ichigo a welcome excuse to cut short his conversation with Kon and stuff the annoying plushy into a drawer. The modsoul had been bugging him whether he had noticed anything odd about his dad. Stupid question. Everything was odd about old Goat-beard.

"Yes," he answered Karin's question once Kon was safely out of the way. The girl opened the door and walked in.

"I want you to tell me what's going on," she demanded.

"What?" Ichigo blinked, taken aback. "There's nothing going on."

"You don't have to lie to me," she admonished him. "I already know you are a shinigami."

"Me? Shinigami? What are you talking about?" Ichigo tried to talk it off, but his communication skills weren't up to the task. Karin wasn't fooled.

"I saw you," she said. "A long time ago. I didn't know what to make of it, but then the old guy Kanonji explained it." Ichigo made a mental note to strangle the showman the next time he saw him. Why did he have to tell Karin? The world of shinigami and Hollows was dangerous, even more so now. He didn't want his sisters to have any part of it. It would just put them in danger needlessly.

"You shouldn't worry about it," he said.

"How can I not?" she shot back. "I can't just ignore what I see and..."

Her speech was interrupted by a sudden feeling of reiatsu. Strong reiatsu. It slammed into them like hammer. It wasn't the strongest Ichigo had ever felt, but it had a sinister tinge. It wasn't quite a Hollow, but it felt hungry nevertheless. Whatever it was, it was undoubtedly dangerous. He reached for his badge.

"Where are you going, Ichi-nii?" Karin asked grabbing his sleeve. Ichigo didn't answer. He slammed the badge to his chest and jumped out of the window in his spiritual form. Karin was left behind with his prone body, which collapsed into a really uncomfortable position. She sighed. Why was Ichigo like that? Why couldn't he tell her anything? Or did he think that if he didn't tell her, he'd keep her safe? That was really stupid, though it sounded just like Ichigo. Hollows were everywhere. She had fought them before, along with her new friends and whatever thing had been inhabiting Ichigo's body during the summer. She wasn't a helpless girl, though she had to admit she wouldn't stand a chance against whatever had shown up in Karakura now.

But as she watched Ichigo disappear in the distance, she realized that her brother wasn't going to tell her anything, no matter how hard she prodded. When he decided on something, there was no changing his mind, she knew that well. But it didn't really matter. If Ichigo refused to tell her, she'd just find another information source. She didn't know who, but she was positive there was somebody who knew what was going on and wasn't as tight-lipped as her idiot brother. It was just a matter of finding them.

Speaking of idiot brothers, hers left his body in an extremely awkward position. If he stayed that way for any length of time, he'd develop cranks and cramps everywhere. He was going to be so sore he wouldn't be able to move for a while. She reached her hand to arrange him into a more comfortable position, but then retracted it. If Ichigo didn't want to tell her anything, then she was going to pretend she didn't know anything and wouldn't help him. She left the room, imagining the look on her brother's face once he returned to his body. Let the pain serve as a lesson to him about brushing her off.

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Tatsuki was amazed how quickly could a normal day turn into a nightmare. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened to her, but it still took her by surprise. There had been no warning. The morning had been quite ordinary, with lessons, classmates and everything, the afternoon was a karate practice that suddenly seemed way below her level and she had to be careful not to hurt somebody accidentally with her new powers. The looks they were shooting her for not participating in the national competition weren't helping her restraint any. But she had endured without maiming anybody and then headed home.

It had been while she had been walking home when it happened. Something fell from the sky and made a deep crater in the ground. People from all around rushed there, curious about the unusual occurrence. Tatsuki wanted to shout at them to get away as fast as they could. They couldn't feel it, but she couldn't miss the reiatsu emanating from the crater. She had never felt anything like it before. It wasn't Hollow, but it was sinister. Even more than the reiatsu of Hollows. And it was strong. Tatsuki had never felt such strong reiatsu except for the battle on the Soukyoku Hill. The reiatsu the captains had unleashed made her feel like suffocating. This wasn't so bad, but she didn't doubt that it could be if the source of the reiatsu chose so.

And people were still standing around it, oblivious to the mortal danger they were in. What could she do to get them away? Telling the truth would just get her locked in the loony house.

"It might explode again," she said. There. That was a good, sane reason to run away, wasn't it?

"Don't be ridiculous," the man next to her scoffed. "It was a meteorite. It isn't going to explode."

"It was a gas explosion," Tatsuki stated. "It can explode again."

"No," the man shook his head, "it was a meteorite. I saw it clearly." The girl briefly wondered how he could have seen anything. He didn't have a single drop of spiritual power.

"Maybe it hit a gas line," she tried.

"Here?" he looked at her dubiously. The middle of the park was really a strange place for a gas line.

Before she could come up with another argument, which would have been probably disregarded anyway, her attention was drawn to the two figures that had climbed out of the crater. They were an odd pair. They were both clad in white clothes of some strange fashion. One of them was short, with black hair and what looked like a fragment of a horned helmet on his head. The other was big and broad, with strange protrusions on his bald head, a jawbone covering his chin and a large hole in the middle of his chest. They both had swords.

Who were they? What were they? Hollows? The hole indicated so, but she had never seen human-looking Hollows without masks and with swords. But she was the first one to admit that she had never heard about great many things in the spiritual world. Though now she looked at it, the jawbone and the helmet-fragment looked like they could be remnants of broken masks. What did it mean? She didn't know, but she was certain it was bad.

Before she could decide on the next course of action, the big guy inhaled. Or at least it looked liked that. Only instead of air, he was taking in human souls. Tatsuki felt cold fear run through her. She could only watch in horror as the people around her dropped down, all of them dead after having their souls sucked out. There were about a hundred of them. Young, old, men, women, children, all of them dead in one instant. She had never seen such casual slaughter before and she hadn't thought it was possible. She could only stare, trembling in shock and trying to come to terms with what had just happened.

"It seems we have a survivor." The girl had barely registered that the two monsters had been speaking until one addressed her. Her head snapped up. She realized the predicament she was in. There were two incredibly powerful monsters who had just killed a hundred people with less concern than a man swatting a bug and they were looking straight at her. She was in deep trouble.

Her first instinct was to run, but something told her she wouldn't be able to get far before they caught up to her. And they were too strong for her to fight. Begging for her life wasn't an option either. She was afraid to call for help because any help would be probably stomped on alongside with her. That left her with... nothing. Tatsuki hated being out of options. Especially when it meant she was going to die. But despite the terror inside her, she resisted the urge to curl into a ball and cry. Arisawa Tatsuki was a fighter. If she was going to die, she at least wanted to go out fighting.

She watched as the big guy walked over to her. Then she activated her Shattering Fist and charged at him with a yell and a boost of her supernatural speed. She didn't get halfway there. The big brute backhanded her with a wave of his arm that seemed insultingly lazy, but sent the girl flying twenty meters. She landed on the ground painfully. Stars danced in front of her eyes. _He's too strong, _she realized. _We stand no chance._

The big guy, she thought she caught the smaller guy call him Yammy, stood over her again. She wanted to get up, to at least die on her feet, but the hit caused more damage than she had thought. _Damn it, _she cursed, _am I going to die lying down like some weakling?_ But she couldn't do anything about it.

Before Yammy could finish her off, two figures appeared between them. Sado and Orihime. _No! _she wanted to scream. _He'll kill you too! _All she could do was to wheeze a faint "go... away." Unfortunately her friends ignored her and remained valiantly at her defense. Chad prepared to fight and Orihime used her Souten Kisshun to heal her. Tatsuki could only watch in horror what happened next.

Chad tried to charge at Yammy with his armored right arm. Yammy blocked his attack easily and then ripped the boy's right arm off.

"Sado-kun!" Orihime shrieked. Her hairpins glowed and Tsubaki raced to attack. Yammy scoffed and batted him away. Or tried to. Two fingers on his hand were sliced clearly off. He looked at the stumps stupidly and then charged at Orihime with an angered roar.

"Santen Kesshun!" the girl called. The triangular shield glowed between them and stopped Yammy's fist. But cracks appeared in it.

"Koten Zanshun!" Orihime send Tsubaki for another attack. But her one moment of rage was gone, replaced instead by worry for her friends. There was no more killing intent to fuel her attack. Yammy's fist hit the ninja fairy from the side and shattered him completely.

"Tsubaki-kun!" Orihime screamed. "No!"

"You're next," Yammy informed her and charged. Orihime activated her shield again, but she knew that it wouldn't be enough. It had almost shattered after his last attack and this one was stronger. But the fist never connected. It was stopped by the blade of a sword. A figure clad in black stood between her and the attacker.

"Kurosaki-kun," she breathed out. She had never been happier to see him. Kurosaki-kun was strong. She could rely on him to protect her and concentrate on healing the wounded. There were two and they were lying too far apart to heal at once. Tatsuki's wounds were still serious and Sado was bleeding heavily from the stump of his arm. Which one needed her abilities the most? She remembered everything she had learned during the week she had spent with the Fourth Division. Tatsuki was stable for the moment. Sado might bleed out soon. That decided. She deactivated the shield over the downed girl and sent it to Sado. Then she grabbed Tatsuki and dragged her next to him. This way she could heal them both.

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Ichigo was fuming. Even if the sight of so many dead wasn't enough to send him into rage, the state Chad and Tatsuki were in would do it twice over.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. If he had been just a bit faster, would he have been able to prevent the injuries and deaths? There was no way to know. And there was just one way to prevent more hurt. "Everything will be fine after I beat those two. Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!" He wouldn't have used Bankai right at the beginning usually, but this time he had to finish the two off quickly so his friends wouldn't be in the line of fire for long. Considering the state they were in, they couldn't move on their own and Inoue couldn't drag them both away on her own. And considering the strength of his opponents, he was going to need all the power he could get.

"Did he say Bankai?" The big guy asked in a tone that suggested he was rather slow-witted. "Ulquiorra, is he the one?"

"Yes," the other one, obviously called Ulquiorra, replied. "It's amazing your senseless ruckus..."

Ichigo didn't wait for the rest of his speech. He attacked. Yammy tried to block. He lost his right arm at the elbow instead of his head. That resulted in another stupid look followed shortly by a fit of rage. His left hand grabbed his zanpakutou and drew it swiftly, despite the awkward grip. Then both the hand and the weapon fell to the ground as they were cut off at the wrist by Tensa Zangetsu. That really pissed Yammy off. He opened his mouth and charged a Cero. Considering the position he was in, the blast would have hit Orihime, Tatsuki and Chad if he let it loose. Ichigo didn't allow it.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" The black crescent of energy met the Cero halfway. The resulting explosion of energy threw Kurosaki back, but his friends were thankfully unharmed. When the dust settled down, it revealed Yammy lying on the ground a good distance away. In his place stood the other guy.

"You should read your opponents' movements instead of charging in blindly, Yammy," Ulquiorra admonished him.

"I'm going to kill them!" Yammy roared and charged another Cero.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" The two attacks collided with a bang once again. And once again, when the dust settled, Yammy was nowhere near the disaster zone and Ulquiorra stood in his place.

"I'm not going to save you again," he said to his larger companion. "You lost your chance at them due to your carelessness. Now it's my turn."

Ichigo looked over his shoulder to where Orihime was healing their friends. Tatsuki looked better, but still not up to walking. Chad's arm wasn't fully attached yet. They still couldn't run. Ichigo had to fight and protect them at once. Maybe he should stall for time to let Inoue complete the healing. Maybe he should have thought of it earlier. And maybe it was a moot question because Ulquiorra was attacking.

Ichigo barely moved in time to block the hand aimed at his chest. He found it insulting that the weird Hollow wanted to fight him barehanded, but he had to admit that it was working. There wasn't even a scratch on Ulquiorra's skin where it clashed with Tensa Zangetsu. Ichigo gathered his strength and pushed him back a bit. Then he swung his sword in an attack. Ulquiorra blocked it with his bare forearm. Ichigo gritted his teeth. Just what kind of monster was he fighting now?

He had little time to ponder over it because Ulquiorra attacked again. Ichigo evaded the strike and tried a counterattack, but it was promptly blocked. Ulquiorra was too fast to get caught by something like this. If that was so, then Ichigo needed to increase his speed to succeed. That wasn't a problem, he wasn't going the maximal speed his Bankai allowed, just what he was comfortable with.

He pushed his reiryoku to his legs and concentrated on his speed. He stepped behind Ulquiorra and slashed at his neck. Ulquiorra blocked, but a slight widening of his eyes showed that he was surprised by Ichigo's sudden burst of speed. Ichigo smirked and pressed his attack. Ulquiorra blocked again. Ichigo pushed his speed to the limits and charged.

They fought this way for a while. Ichigo was having the upper hand, but he couldn't land a decisive hit on Ulquiorra. In fact all he did was to put some tears into his sleeves. That made him angry and made him try to attack faster, beyond his limits.

But it wasn't so easy. After a while, Ulquiorra started to get faster. Suddenly Ichigo wasn't having the upper hand anymore. He tried to fight harder, go faster, but he found he couldn't. His legs were hurting from the strain and every step became torture. But he wasn't giving up. He just couldn't. Orihime still wasn't finished healing Chad and Tatsuki, though it looked like it wouldn't take long. He had to buy his friends enough time to run. He couldn't afford to lose before then. And preferably he should injure the enemy too.

He gritted his teeth and pushed his everything into his next attack. He ignored his protesting legs and charged forward like nothing was wrong. Ulquiorra sidestepped his sword slash. It surprised Ichigo so much that he stumbled. Then Ulquiorra's fist impacted on his back and sent him tumbling down. Ichigo rolled on the ground, trying to get up again. Ulquiorra didn't give him the chance. A kick to his shoulder sent him on the ground again, nearly making him drop his zanpakutou.

"Trash," Ulquiorra said in a completely flat voice. There wasn't even a hint of condescending or hate in it, which made it doubly creepy.

"How did you get so fast?" Ichigo asked, trying to gather his bearings for another attack. Or just get him talking long enough for Orihime to complete healing their friends and allow them to escape.

"I didn't. You got slow," the white-clad man answered in a tone better suited for delivering really boring and insignificant reports.

"What?"

"You seemed to have some potential at the beginning, but you couldn't keep it up," Ulquiorra continued in his creepy monotone. "That shows that you are just trash." Then he lifted his hand and Ichigo knew that he wanted to kill him. He lifted Tensa Zangetsu, but even his arms felt sluggish. And his legs hurt so bad that trying to stand up seemed like a very bad idea. It occurred to him that he was going to die here and his friends with him, because they still weren't up to running away. And he didn't have the strength to do anything about it. _Now would be a good time for the Hollow to take over and kick his butt, _he thought. But that wasn't going to happen. He had beaten the white monster and it wasn't coming back. He was on his own. And he wasn't strong enough.

Before Ulquiorra could bring his fist down, two figures appeared between him and Ichigo.

"Who are they?" Yammy asked stupidly. Ichigo jerked. He had completely forgotten about the big guy. It was the good thing that he had just stared at his fight with Ulquiorra and didn't attack Inoue and her patients. He might be short both his arms, but he could still fire Cero.

"Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi," Ulquiorra said. "We're leaving."

"Running already?" Yoruichi taunted.

"What a foolish taunt." Ulquiorra didn't scoff, simply stated the facts. "If you two fought me here while protecting the trash, it is obvious who would have the upper hand. My mission here is complete. I will report to Aizen-sama that the fake shinigami he's so interested in is just a piece of trash unworthy of his attention." Then he picked up Yammy's arms and zanpakutou, opened a Garganta and left followed by his big partner. Urahara and Yoruichi watched them go, not making a move to stop them.

"You appeared at the last moment," Ichigo said once the Garganta closed.

"We've been waiting right behind the corner for the right moment to make a dramatic entrance!" Urahara announced in a cheerful voice that suggested that he was kidding, but Ichigo thought that such behavior would be in character for the eccentric shopkeeper. He decided not to question it. He knew Urahara well enough to realize he wouldn't get a straight answer out of him even if he asked what the time was.

"What were those things?" he asked.

"Arrancar," Yoruichi answered. "Hollows that removed their masks to gain shinigami powers."

"I see. What?" Ichigo startled. "Is such thing even possible?"

"Yes," she confirmed. Urahara was busy looking at something on the ground and didn't interrupt. "Arrancar have been around always, but they used to be incomplete and they weren't really dangerous, at least for a strong shinigami. But these two guys, they are completely different. Their reiatsu was stable. We think they weren't natural. That they were created by Aizen using the Hougyoku."

"Aizen, huh," Ichigo said. "But he doesn't have the Hougyoku for long. It's just two weeks, isn't it? And he's already creating these monsters?"

"Yes," Yoruichi nodded. "We didn't think he'd be able to use it so soon. It looks like we'd have to prepare for the war much earlier than we expected."

"I see," Ichigo said. That really didn't sound good.

"It isn't as bad as it sounds," Urahara stated cheerfully. "We can study our opponents. They were so kind and left something behind." He then showed them Yammy's severed fingers. Ichigo made a disgusted face. He really didn't want to see this. He turned away and looked where Inoue was still working on Chad and Tatsuki. It seemed that she was almost finished. Ichigo tried to get up and walk to them, but he collapsed back down with a pained hiss.

"What's wrong?" Yoruichi asked with concern.

"My legs," Ichigo answered. "It started during the fight and it kept getting worse."

"I see," the dark-skinned woman nodded. "Moving at such speed puts a great strain on the body. I had to build up my endurance for a very long time before I could shunpo at my current speed without hurting myself. And if you add the strain of Bankai to it, it could be enough to tear your muscles and fracture your bones."

"Strain of Bankai?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yes," the Goddess of Flash confirmed. "The power released in Bankai goes beyond the power of a normal weapon. That in itself puts great strain on the body. Everybody who has achieved Bankai has to train with it for years or decades before they can bear the power with no ill effects."

"That means I have to train a lot," Ichigo concluded.

"Yes," the purple-haired woman confirmed.

"Can I use your underground room again?"

"I don't know," she said with a hint of mischief in her golden eyes. "Kisuke is a bit miffed about the mess you made there the last time, but I might be just able to convince him. Besides, when he has something interesting to study, he tends to forget about everything else."

"Would you help me train?" Ichigo asked. "I need to be able to move quickly without damaging my legs." Yoruichi studied him intently, like she was waiting for something. "Please?" Ichigo added.

"Well, since you asked so nicely, I just might. Come to Urahara's this evening. There's no day like today."

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Orihime sighed in relief as she deactivated her Souten Kisshun. Both Tatsuki and Chad were as good as new now, not a trace remaining of their earlier injuries. Chad sat up and tried moving his right arm. It worked perfectly. He activated his Brazo Derecha de Gigante just to see if it still worked and made a few practice swings before deactivating it again.

"Thank you," he said.

Tatsuki too tried to move before believing that she was truly healed. "Great work, Orihime," she grinned.

"Thanks," the red-haired girl said, but she sounded unhappy.

"What's wrong?" Tatsuki asked.

"I couldn't do anything," Orihime answered, hanging her head. "And Tsubaki..." her voice broke in a sob.

"You healed us," Tatsuki tried to cheer her up. "Without you, we would be both dead."

"I know," Inoue replied, "but I couldn't do anything about the monsters. And Tsubaki-kun was destroyed."

"You cut off his fingers. I couldn't do anything about them either and neither could Chad," the karate mistress pointed out. "Even Ichigo had trouble and needed to be rescued."

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime exclaimed, as if she remembered the boy only now. She turned around to see Ichigo slowly limping towards them. Ichigo smiled wearily.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," Tatsuki answered. Chad nodded.

"I'm alright, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said.

"Glad to hear that," Ichigo replied and then sat on the ground. His legs were still protesting against being used.

"Are you hurt?" Inoue asked worriedly.

"It's nothing," Ichigo said dismissively.

"It doesn't look like nothing," Tatsuki observed.

"Nothing serious. I'm just a bit sore," Ichigo corrected. "It's already getting better."

"If you say so," Orihime replied, but she didn't sound convinced.

"Well, if you are alright, I'll be going," Ichigo decided and stood up, trying valiantly to hide the signs of his discomfort. He didn't want to discuss his current state and his loss to Ulquiorra. Then he walked away. Orihime watched him go with sad eyes.

"I couldn't even help him," she said, her eyes downcast.

"He didn't let you," Tatsuki pointed out.

"I feel useless," the red-haired girl sighed.

"That's not true," Tatsuki said. "You healed us. You are very useful, Orihime."

"But I couldn't protect you. I could barely scratch him."

"That's still more than me and Chad did," the dark-haired girl reminded her.

"But it wasn't enough. In the end, I was useless in the fight."

"Hm," the dark-haired girl mused aloud, "I noticed you aren't much of a confrontational type, but that doesn't mean you are useless. Where would we be if you weren't there to put us back together after our battles?"

"That's true, but I still feel like I could have done more," Inoue sighed.

"If you feel like that, then there's only one thing you can do," Arisawa stated.

"What is it?" Orihime asked.

"Train. Train and train so the next time you do better than you did the last time."

"Yes," Orihime smiled, "but I know that no matter how hard I train, I will never be able to fight. I'll become better with defense, I'll become better at healing and repairing things, but I will never be able to attack anyone. No matter what they did."

"That's probably true," Tatsuki admitted. "But that's no reason to give up. If you cannot attack, can you at least reflect their attacks?"

"No," Orihime shook her head. "My Santen Kesshun nullifies enemy attacks. It can't return them. Tsubaki is my only offensive power. And now he's gone."

"That's a pity," Tatsuki grimaced. "Because if you could return attacks, that would make you formidable in battle. And returning attacks doesn't go against your philosophy, does it? The enemies did it to themselves."

"I still don't like hurting anyone."

"I should have known you'd say this," Tatsuki sighed. "That's who you are."

"But even if I don't like it, there might be no choice," Orihime continued. "So I should make sure I can fight when the time comes."

"That's the spirit," Tatsuki smirked. "So let's start training right now, shall we?"

"Yes," Orihime smiled back. "Let's start."

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Ichigo's muscles were still protesting every step as he walked to Urahara's that evening. A part of him wondered whether it was really wise to start his training now, whether it wouldn't be better to wait until his legs healed because he might make the damage worse, but another part of his mind reminded him that disobeying Yoruichi might have unpleasant consequences. The catwoman could do anything if he didn't show up on time. Even if she didn't set the time.

When he walked into the Urahara Shouten, the first person to greet him was Yoruichi. She was in human form and thankfully clothed. It made Ichigo feel both relieved and disappointed.

"Well, since you finally bothered to show up, we can begin," the former Commander of the Onmitsukidou said and lead Ichigo to the underground training room. Once there Yoruichi began explaining the principles of shunpo. Ichigo paid close attention and sometimes asked questions when he wasn't clear on exactly how he should concentrate the spirit particles under his feet and how to release them properly. Finally he thought he understood enough to try it. He said so.

"Well," Yoruichi replied, "if you think you can do it already, then try. But don't come back crying to me if it doesn't work."

"I won't," Ichigo promised and concentrated on channeling his power to his legs and feet just like his teacher had described. Then he released it in one burst and landed on his face. Yoruichi started laughing.

"Not funny," Ichigo muttered as he picked himself up. Yoruichi laughed harder.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" she asked once she could speak without breaking into giggles again.

"Uh... I did it too fast?" Kurosaki speculated.

"Speed wasn't the problem," the Goddess of Flash shook her head. "You messed up the direction you released the reishi and your feet started to move in a wrong direction. If you want to move forward, you have to send the spiritrons the other way."

"Okay," Ichigo nodded and tried again. This time he fell on his behind, which caused Yoruichi another laughing fit. The redhead scowled.

"Well," the catwoman said, "your feet moved the right way but you forgot the rest of your body behind. You must pay attention to your balance."

"You said nothing about it," Ichigo complained.

"I thought it was obvious," she replied. "Try again." Ichigo did. He paid very good attention to everything he did and he moved about ten meters in one step. It was slow and sloppy, but it was shunpo.

"That was better," Yoruichi smiled. "You're getting the idea, but you're slow. Try it faster." Ichigo nodded. He concentrated and tried the fastest flash step he could do. In an eyeblink he moved over a hundred meters. He grinned at his success and then screamed in pain as his leg muscles informed him what they thought of such mistreatment and went on strike. Ichigo tumbled to the ground. He bit his lips to prevent another pained groan from escaping. This wasn't good. He had hoped that shunpo would help him move fast without damaging his legs, but this hurt even worse than when he collapsed during his fight with Ulquiorra.

"Ichigo!" Yoruichi shouted as she appeared next to him. "What's wrong?" Ichigo's first instinct was to deny anything was wrong and stand up, but his muscles were still on strike, so he couldn't do that. That forced him to admit the truth.

"My legs," he said. "I thought this wasn't supposed to be as straining as my Bankai."

"It isn't," Yoruichi replied, looking worried. "It didn't look like you overloaded the technique enough to burst your muscles, unless..." she trailed off and looked at Ichigo intently. "You had Orihime heal your legs before you came here, didn't you?"

"Uh..." His expression said it all. Yoruichi shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't believe this. Why did you go training shunpo with wounded legs?"

"You told me to come today," Ichigo replied.

"I thought you'd have enough presence to have somebody heal you before you came."

"It didn't hurt that bad," the redhead defended.

"Even that was too much," the dark-skinned female pointed out. "I thought you were smart enough to realize that. Why didn't you have your legs healed or heal them yourself?"

"Heal them myself?" Ichigo echoed. "I'm no healer. I wouldn't know where to begin."

"But you regenerated a whole arm within seconds."

"Huh? What?" Kurosaki looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Where did you hear such nonsense? If I lost an arm and then regenerated it, I'd know something about it."

"Tessai told me," Yoruichi answered. "When you fought your inner Hollow."

"I don't remember losing an arm," Ichigo stated. He was pretty sure that nothing like that occurred during his fight with the white apparition.

"You probably wouldn't," the purple-haired woman mused aloud. "You were in your Inner World, so you didn't see or feel what was happening to your body."

"What was happening?" Ichigo demanded. Something in Yoruichi's words sounded ominous.

"Your body went completely berserk and started turning into a Hollow," she explained. Ichigo paled. It hadn't occurred to him that fighting his Inner Hollow might endanger the people around him. "You nearly killed Tessai." Ichigo gulped. That really wasn't good. But at least the white monster was gone now so it wouldn't happen again. "Urahara had to cut off your arm to save him and it grew back within a few moments." It didn't look like a human arm anymore, but Ichigo didn't have to know that. Judging from his face he had reached his quota of bad news for the day. "So I thought if you could heal this, why not your legs?"

"It was the Hollow," Ichigo replied, recalling as his opponent's wounds kept disappearing in front of his eyes. "He could regenerate, not me."

"Maybe you could use his power," she suggested.

"No," Ichigo shook his head resolutely. "You have no idea what it is like." Even now he shivered when he recalled how that thing took control of his body during his fight with Ichimaru. "I don't want to have anything with such tainted power. And besides, that thing is gone now, so it's a mute point."

"Hm... I wonder," Yoruichi said.

"Please don't say that it will be back," Ichigo sighed.

"I'm no expert," she shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Today's lesson is over. You can go home."

"Yes," Kurosaki nodded and made an unsuccessful attempt at standing up.

"Let me see it," Yoruichi said taking a closer look at the overused appendages. "I'm no expert at healing Kidou, but I can put you together enough to walk home."

"Thanks."

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The mood in the meeting room quickly turned somber when the soutaichou revealed the reason for summoning the captains so suddenly.

"So there's no doubt those two were complete Arrancar," Kyouraku mused aloud.

"Of course not!" Kurotsuchi snapped, taking Shunsui's remark as a slight to his division's and his abilities.

"Shouldn't it take longer for the Hougyoku to awaken?" Hitsugaya mused. "How was Aizen able to create them so fast?"

"Is it confirmed that they are Aizen's creations?" Kuchiki asked.

"Not yet," Kurotsuchi answered. "The reports are still coming in, but this is the most likely possibility." It was obvious from his voice that he would rather be studying those reports than wasting his time here.

"If there was another force that could create Arrancar of this strength then it would be really worrisome," Komamura remarked.

"Not really," Soifon disagreed. "We could just make them and Aizen destroy each other."

"Or they'd make an alliance," Hitsugaya muttered darkly.

Yamamoto's cane tapping on the floor interrupted the idle speculations.

"We're here to discuss the danger of Aizen, not hypothetic scenarios," the general reminded them. "We have to form a plan."

"Why do we do it before we have all the information?" Ukitake asked.

"We can't afford to waste time," the general answered. "It might take days before we have all the information."

"Making a plan based on incomplete and possibly incorrect information is dangerous," Soifon pointed out.

"Our information is correct," Kurotsuchi stated, sounding insulted.

"But still incomplete," Soifon countered.

"Why do we even need a plan?" Kenpachi asked. "Let's just go and beat Aizen." He was still miffed that he had missed the battle on the Soukyoku Hill and couldn't even get a proper rematch with Ichigo and itched to make up for it.

"Such action requires careful planning," Kuchiki said.

"And how do you want to get to Hueco Mundo?" Kurotsuchi asked at the same time as Byakuya spoke. The two captains glared at each other while Zaraki glared at them both.

"Sissies," he snorted. "You're just too scared to fight them directly. Just let me at them and there will be no Arrancar problem because there will be no Arrancar."

"Ignoramus," Kurotsuchi snorted.

"I don't have to respond to mindless insults from such lowlife," Kuchiki stated in his best 'conceited aristocrat' tone. Zaraki's reiatsu rose.

"Here we go again," Hitsugaya muttered unhappily. He really didn't understand how they could argue when the threat was so real. Yamamoto's cane tapped on the floor.

"Silence!" the general thundered. "This is an important strategy meeting, so act accordingly."

"I still don't get the strategy part," the Eleventh Division Captain insisted. "Why don't we just kill them?"

"We can't reach them in Hueco Mundo," Hitsugaya explained. "We have to wait for them to appear in the Living World."

"Then I'm going to wait for them," Kenpachi decided. "They'd better be worth it."

"No," Yamamoto vetoed his suggestion.

"Why?" Zaraki questioned. He looked half ready to challenge the general if he couldn't fight the Arrancar.

"You are not allowed to go to the World of the Living," the bearded shinigami stated. "You know why."

"Ow, come on," Kenpachi almost pleaded. "Are you still mad about that? It's been a long time." That made everybody in the room speculate about what 'that' was. There was very little known about said incident. It had happened shortly after Zaraki had won the captaincy of the Eleventh Division and everybody in Seireitei had panicked about having a captain who didn't know even the most basic things about shinigami duties. Yamamoto had taken it upon himself to instruct the barbarian, mostly because nobody else dared. One of the lessons had been about Konsou and for that the general and his reluctant student had to cross the border between the worlds. There were many rumors about what had happened there but no solid facts. The only sure thing was that right after they returned Yamamoto had declared that Zaraki is forbidden to enter the Living World ever again and there are no exceptions to the rule.

"You're not going and that's final." Yamamoto's tone let everybody know that he wasn't going to change his mind now. Everybody agreed with him. Even if they didn't know what had happened during Kenpachi's last visit in the Living World, they could imagine what would have happened now: the Eleventh Division Captain would get bored waiting for the Arrancar, challenge Kurosaki to a duel, wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and they would raze Karakura to the ground during their fight. Even Kenpachi saw that there was no changing the old man's mind, so he only scowled and didn't press the issue.

"But sending somebody to Karakura to greet the Arrancar when they appear isn't a bad idea," Kyouraku said, showing that for once he wasn't sleeping through the meeting.

"Whoever goes there, bring me some Arrancar back," Mayuri said. "I want to study them."

"Whoever goes has to be strong," Ukitake mused. "Captain level. If the Arrancar gave trouble to Kurosaki, nothing less will do."

"We need the captains to protect Seireitei," Komamura pointed out. "We're already short three of them."

"But sending weak fighters would be just pointless waste of their lives," Ukitake opposed him. "It seems that Bankai is needed to face the Arrancar successfully."

"That's a problem," the helmeted captain admitted.

"Maybe not," Hitsugaya said. "I understood that Abarai-fukutaichou had achieved Bankai recently."

"That's correct," Kuchiki confirmed.

"Then he should go," the youngest captain continued. "He's strong enough and it would be a good experience for him. We'd have to replace the three traitorous captains eventually and we don't have many candidates. Abarai is one of them but he needs to learn a lot before he becomes really eligible. He's been a lieutenant for how long? Three months at most?"

"Two and half," Kuchiki supplied.

"Then it's decided," Yamamoto tapped his cane on the floor. "Abarai-fukutaichou will lead the advanced guard in Karakura town. He can chose members of his group. This meeting is dismissed."

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Aizen's throne room was full of shadows. They were everywhere. Between the columns, under the too-high ceiling, even on the main path leading to Aizen's throne. Even the throne of the ruler of Hueco Mundo was cast in shadows, despite being the best illuminated place in the whole hall. It was a depressing place, but it suited Aizen-sama.

Today the throne room was full of life. Numerous Arrancar lurked within the shadows, called by their liege to attend an important gathering. The eyes of everybody were trained firmly at the two figures walking down the aisle towards Aizen's throne.

Ulquiorra ignored them. They meant nothing to him. They were trash. Even the buffoon trailing behind him, still missing his arms, was trash. Only Aizen-sama mattered.

"Welcome, Ulquiorra," the lord of Las Noches greeted. "Now, please, enlighten us, Ulquiorra, in the Human World, everything you saw, everything you felt, spare us not the slightest detail."

"Yes, sir," the Fourth Espada nodded before plucking out his eye. Such injury meant nothing to him, the eye began regeneration almost instantly, but it still hurt. He didn't allow the pain to show on his face and crushed his eye, letting everybody in the room see what he did. "Now be my guest. Use me to your heart's content." Not that Aizen needed his permission, he was already doing it.

The whole expedition to the Human World outfolded before everybody's eyes. They saw everything. The weak humans dropping dead. The three pitiful creatures with minuscule power trying to fight them in vain. Kurosaki's charge and his defeat of Yammy. Then his fight against Ulquiorra and his subsequent collapse. The arrival of Urahara and Shihouin and Ulquiorra's withdrawal.

"I see," Aizen said. "So the reason you chose not to dispose of him was because he was worthless?"

"Yes. Since there was no way he could have stood between us and our goals, there was no point wasting our time with him. In addition to that..."

"Don't give me that shit." Grimmjow, who else. The Sexta Espada was just a stupid, hot-blooded piece of trash with an inflated opinion of himself. If Ulquiorra had emotion, Grimmjow would annoy him. "If I ran into such a weak bastard as that, I would have annihilated him with a single blast."

"Grimmjow." The word was a warning. The blue-haired Arrancar ignored hit, as he was wont to do.

"No matter what kind of junk stands in your way, the order was to kill, wasn't it? Then you simply should have killed without hesitation, right?"

"My sentiments exactly," Shawlong added. "That applies to any enemy. If they are not worth to kill, it's worthless letting them live too, isn't it?" A Fracción lecturing an Espada? Trash. Just like his master.

"More importantly, Yammy," Grimmjow spoke again. "He was not worth killing? My ass! He beat you! You couldn't kill him!"

"Hey, Grimmjow," Yammy growled, "Don't talk trash when you have no idea what's going on."

"Then where are your arms?" Grimmjow questioned. Yammy glowered.

"If that sandal-hat guy and the dark bitch didn't show up..."

"You'd still lose," Grimmjow interrupted him. "I could take them all in a single blast." The trash was boasting again. It bored Ulquiorra.

"What was that?" Yammy looked ready to start a fight with Grimmjow, which he would inevitably lose. He was even worse trash than the blue-haired Espada.

"Stop it," Ulquiorra interrupted them before things got ugly.

"Grimmjow, do you understand me when I said that the boy, as he is, is no threat to us? The warning Aizen-sama put on him has nothing to do with his powers at all. What is truly frightening is his growth rate. Without a doubt it is in his potential where his talent lies. There is something strange in his power that should not be there. And just as there is a high possibility that his power may grow, there is also a high possibility that we can get him to our side one day. That is why we did not kill him." At least that was the official version.

"Don't lie to me, you bastard," Grimmjow scoffed. "You got scared of his power so you ran. Even if we brought him over to our side in this situation, what would you do?"

"If that time comes, I'll deal with him," Ulquiorra replied. "You cannot possibly have any complaints, am I right?"

"Of course not," Aizen spoke. "There is not a doubt in my mind. That's why I'm content to let you handle the matter, Ulquiorra."

"Thank you very much, sir," the Fourth Espada bowed. He didn't see Grimmjow's face, but he could feel his glare drilling into his back. The trash was going to do something foolish. Well, let him. It was Aizen's problem now.

...

Hitsugaya realized today was going to suck utterly the moment Matsumoto arrived into his office five hours too late accompanied by one Abarai Renji. Even the fact that she was completely sober, a rare sight lately, didn't make the sense of approaching doom any weaker.

"Good day, Hitsugaya-taichou," the Sixth Division Lieutenant said in an uncharacteristically polite voice. The young captain suppressed a sigh. They wanted something from him. He was sure he wasn't going to like it.

"Morning, taichou," Matsumoto chirped.

"Good day to you too," Hitsugaya replied. "And it's afternoon."

"Already?" the busty blonde looked genuinely surprised.

"Yes," Hitsugaya confirmed. "Now what do you two want?" His patience was already running thin and they had barely shown up.

"Why so grumpy today, taichou?" the Tenth's lieutenant questioned. "I came to work, is it so strange?"

"First: you came later than usual. Second: you brought Abarai who's acting unusually polite today. You must want something," the captain elaborated. "Please say it quickly, I have paperwork to do. You too, Matsumoto."

"Well," Renji said, "you know how I've been charged with putting together a group that would help guard Karakura Town against the Arrancar?"

"Yes," Hitsugaya nodded. _So he wants Matsumoto to join,_ he thought. Poor him. Matsumoto would drive him nuts and spend the entirety of the mission budget on clothes and sake. But she would be away from the Tenth Division Office for a while, which would give Hitsugaya the time to relax. Yes, it would be a good thing if someone else had to deal with the energetic lieutenant for a few days or weeks. It wasn't like she did any work in the office anyway. He was already looking forward to the peace and quiet.

"Well," the redhead said, "I've been wondering whether you'd like to join."

"What?!" Hitsugaya was glad that he wasn't drinking anything. Otherwise he would have spluttered tea all over his paperwork. Did the pineapple-head really expect him to just pack and leave and let Matsumoto take care of his division for who knows how long? He had done that once before and found a part of the barracks burned to the ground upon his return. He never found out just how did it happen.

"Rangiku here insists she wants to go and you are the only one who can keep her in check," Abarai explained. So he wasn't as dumb as he looked if he realized that he couldn't control Matsumoto on his own. But if he thought Hitsugaya would join his party, he had another thought coming.

"Hey! That was mean, Renji!" the blonde scowled.

"Matsumoto is a lieutenant of the Gotei 13 and can look after herself," Hitsugaya said calmly.

"It's not her I'm worried about," the redhead said.

"The answer is still no," the captain replied. "I have lots of work to do here."

"Please, taichou, come," Matsumoto made her best puppy eyes. "You should take a break from your work once in a while. It's going to be fun!"

"Advanced patrol in a warzone isn't fun, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya scowled.

"I would appreciate if you reconsidered, Hitsugaya-taichou." Such eloquence. Abarai-fukutaichou must be getting desperate, the captain thought.

"Ikkaku and Yumichika are also coming. And Rukia too," Matsumoto announced.

"No," Hitsugaya stated. There was no way he was going to spend an extended period of time in such company. His sanity wouldn't last a day.

"C'mon, taichou," Matsumoto pouted. "Would you let me go into danger on my own? Don't you want to make sure nothing happens to us?"

"You'll hardly be on your own, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya countered.

"But we could really use a captain-level fighter," Renji said.

"Don't you have Bankai?" the young captain asked.

"I do," Abarai confirmed, "but it's a recent thing. I'm not very good with it yet. We'd need someone more experienced against the Arrancar."

"I think you're underestimating yourself," Toushirou said.

"I think you're underestimating the enemy," Matsumoto countered. "I heard they defeated Kurosaki."

"Really?" Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. He had heard that they gave him trouble, but not the part about the outright defeat. If that was true, it was a cause for concern. "I haven't heard about it."

"The information hasn't been made public yet, but as I've been walking around the Twelfth I met Nemu and she told me about it."

"You were supposed to be doing paperwork, not chatting with Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou," Hitsugaya chastised her, but it was half-hearted. His mind was on another matter. Nemu was a reliable source of information and if she said that Kurosaki was defeated, it was true. That meant that the opponents were captain-level at least. Once the soutaichou learned about it, he'd order a captain to go along with the party and as the youngest one there the duty would fall to him. Not that he minded, every mission taken helped him close the gap in experience between him and the older captains. So he might as well make it look like he volunteered.

"I'll go," he said. Matsumoto glowed.

"I knew I could rely on you, taichou," she exclaimed and tried to hug him. He avoided her with practiced ease.

"Don't get so excited," he admonished her. "We have to get ready if we are to leave soon." She nodded.

"We can take Momo along too," Matsumoto suggested cheerfully.

"What?!" Hitsugaya was sure he had heard that wrong.

"You can spend time together," the woman continued.

"Did you just suggest I take Hinamori into danger?" Hitsugaya asked icily.

"She's a lieutenant," Renji pointed out. "She is strong."

"The enemy is stronger," the white-haired boy reminded him.

"But I think you should take her along," Matsumoto stated. "She needs to see how evil Aizen is. You know how she's been confused lately, don't you? This would help her straighten her head."

Hitsugaya had to agree that she had a point. Despite her apology, Toushirou couldn't help but suspect that she still thought her former captain was a good person. She needed to see that it wasn't so or there might be trouble ahead. But putting her into the line of danger still rubbed him wrong.

Matsumoto noticed that he was cracking and pressed her attack. "She won't come to harm if you are there to protect her," she said. "And you can use all the time you'll spend together to strengthen your bond. You complained about getting estranged after she became Aizen's lieutenant, didn't you?"

Curse her, the hellish woman knew all his weak spots perfectly. Yes, he hated how he and Hinamori were slowly drifting apart. Not just after she had become Aizen's lieutenant, it had started before, when she had entered the Shinou Academy. Ever since then, he longed for the closeness they used to share when they had lived together in Granny's house in Junrin'an. Yet that closeness always eluded him. Even when he joined the Academy and later the Gotei 13 too, Hinamori was always preoccupied with her other friends. And above them all, Captain Aizen. He had been a hero to her, almost like a god and she worshipped him. Such devotion was very hard to break. Hinamori would have to see the devastation the Arrancar were so eager to dish out to understand just what kind of man her former superior was. And that could be accomplished only by taking her to Karakura.

"Alright," he agreed with a sigh. He hoped he wasn't going to regret this. He couldn't shake the persistent feeling that he was making a mistake.

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Ichigo was walking a bit stiffly when he arrived at school the next morning. Not only had the strain damage on his legs transferred from his spiritual to his physical body, he got the sores from leaving his body in a really weird position on top of that. And to top the cake his obnoxious dad had attacked him again and he had been too sore and stiff to block and evade properly, so bruises joined his collection of injuries too. Even a whole night of sleep couldn't heal it completely. But at least his friends were alright and that was the most important thing. He sat behind his desk and prepared himself for another perfectly ordinary day of high school.

His first sign that this day wasn't going to be normal was when Ochi-sensei announced that they were having a transfer student. Ichigo ignored the sign. Transfer students weren't anything strange, even if this was the first transfer student to join class 1-3 since he started attending Karakura High. The fact that transferring a few days after the start of semester was illogical didn't alert him that anything was wrong either.

When the student walked in, introduced himself as Hirako Shinji and wrote his name on the blackboard backwards, Ichigo still didn't think anything was strange. Karakura Town was full of weirdoes. His friends, who weren't so prone to forgetting people's names, exchanged meaningful glances, but Ichigo didn't notice that. And Ishida, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chad decided it was probably a case of identical names when they couldn't feel any reiatsu from the newcomer. Then Hirako sat next to Ichigo and tried to start a conversation. Ichigo wasn't in the mood and brushed it off without bothering to really listen. The fact that the newcomer seemed to know Ichigo made his friends suspicious again, but the new guy didn't do anything fishy. But they still kept their eyes on him and Ichigo remained oblivious, being too preoccupied with yesterday's fight and Yoruichi's lessons.

The day was awkward. Ishida, Chad, Orihime and Tatsuki kept exchanging glances, observing Hirako and waiting for him to do something weird. Orihime wanted to just ask Hirako whether he was who they thing he was, but Tatsuki explained that walking up to somebody and asking: "Excuse me, aren't you perhaps an exiled shinigami captain?" was a good way to end up in the loony bin. Orihime decided to just ask after school. Hirako was watching their antics and chuckling inwardly while waiting for a good opportunity to confront Ichigo in private. Keigo was wondering what he was missing here and Mizuiro pretended to ignore everything. Chizuru ogled Orihime. Ochi-sensei was wondering why class 1-3 felt even weirder today than usual. Ichigo remained blissfully oblivious.

Just as lunch break came, he felt powerful reiatsu approaching his position. He couldn't ignore the signs of weirdness anymore. His head snapped up from where he was staring into a textbook without registering a word written there and turned towards the classroom door. Soon it opened and a weird group of weird people appeared there. He immediately recognized them. At the front, short, with white hair and scowling face, stood Hitsugaya Toushirou. Behind him, red hair and tattoos clashing with the school uniform horribly, stood Abarai Renji. Madarame Ikkaku's bald head was shining next to him and there was a wooden sword tucked into his belt. He was complaining that he couldn't carry a real one. Yumichika Ayasegawa looked just as flamboyant as ever, customizing his uniform to suit his tastes. Matsumoto Rangiku had trouble fitting into her uniform shirt and her chest threatened to spill. Ichigo wondered how long it would take before the buttons holding her blouse closed would give up. In the background he noticed another girl, one he didn't know. But she was the only one who looked like a real student, though he guessed that she was probably another shinigami.

"Guys, what are you doing here?" he asked wide-eyed.

"It's an order," Renji answered. He quickly explained how they were supposed to help him protect Karakura Town from the Arrancar and introduced the unknown girl as Lieutenant Hinamori Momo. The conversation was interrupted by a strange sound coming from the window. Ichigo turned around to see a silhouette of somebody standing on the window frame. A very familiar silhouette.

"Rukia," he whispered, not daring to say it aloud for fear that she might disappear.

"Long time no see, Ichigo."

When everybody was busy greeting each other, Hirako slipped away quietly. All the shinigami here were too young to know him personally, but that didn't mean some of them couldn't recognize him. He just couldn't take the chance. His departure went unnoticed. Everybody was so excited by the reunion and exchanging news that they completely forgot about the strange transfer student. That was good, but it presented a problem. It would be too risky to approach Ichigo now that the shinigami were there. Even going to school was taking chances. So what should he do? Well, Hirako decided he wouldn't worry about it. Some opportunity was going to present itself. He just had to wait and take it.

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As soon as Shinji walked into the Visored's hideout, a sandal hit him in the face so hard it knocked him down.

"Baka Shinji!" an angry voice shouted. "Where's Kurosaki?"

"Ah," Hirako rubbed his sore cheek, "he won't be joining us today yet."

"No?" Hiyori slapped him with the sandal again, hitting the same spot as the last time. "Why not? Did you mess up telling him to join us?"

"No," the former Fifth Division captain shook his head.

"Then what's the problem?" she demanded.

"I couldn't get him alone to tell him."

"You didn't even tell him?" Hiyori slapped him twice, hitting both sides of his face. "Baka Shinji! How could you mess up so bad?"

"It wasn't my fault!" the man protested. The girl just scowled and hit him again. "A contingent from the Gotei 13 appeared before I could do anything."

"Who cares about some shinigami?" Hiyori scowled.

"Who wants the Soul Society to find us?" Hirako retorted. "They didn't seem to recognize me, but I couldn't take the chance so I left."

"Baka!" Hiyori's sandal found its target again. Hirako's face was getting really sore. "You could have just killed the shinigami! Then they won't report anything."

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Shinji asked.

"No."

"I don't think Kurosaki would appreciate it," the man pointed out.

"So what?" she shrugged. "He'd join us anyway. He has no choice. But now we're getting delayed because of your incompetence!"

"Don't worry, Sarugaki-san, I'm going to convince him," Shinji promised solemnly.

"As if you can convince anyone," Hiyori scoffed. "Next time, I'm going."

"Like he would listen to such a bratty kid," Hirako scoffed. Hiyori slapped him again. Her sandal couldn't take the strain anymore and tears appeared in the rubber sole. Hiyori blinked in disbelief before exploding.

"You broke my sandal! You broke my sandal with your stupid hard head!"

"No!" Shinji protested. "You broke it when you hit me too hard!" Hiyori kicked him before stomping off.

"I'm going to get me new shoes and then I'm going for Kurosaki."

Hirako looked at the other Visored who had been watching the show silently.

"Don't worry," Kensei said. "We won't let her go anywhere."

"Why?" Mashiro asked, looking puzzled.

"Idiot," Kensei shook his head.

"Thanks," Hirako said. "I'm heading out again. Kurosaki should be alone in the evening, so I should get a good chance to contact him."

"But don't take too long," Rabu reminded him. "We can't keep Hiyori here for long."

"I know," Hirako sighed. "I'll be quick."

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Late in the afternoon everybody gathered in Ichigo's room. The boy didn't understand why. Well, he could understand why the gathering was necessary, there was so much they needed to talk about, but he didn't understand why did it have to happen in his room.

"And where else should it be?" Ishida replied when he asked it aloud. "Chad's place is bigger, but he has pets there. Tatsuki's parents are having visitors today. And Orihime would serve her cooking." Ichigo shuddered.

"And why can't we go to your place?" the substitute inquired.

"We can't," the Quincy said. "And stop asking." Something in his tone let Ichigo know that there was some unspeakable horror lurking around the Ishida family home. After that they could finally get to business. Captain Hitsugaya explained the three levels of Menos Grande. That made a cold shiver run along everybody's spine. The Vasto Lorde sounded really scary.

"How many of this Vasto Lorde does Aizen have?" Orihime asked fearfully.

"We don't know," Hitsugaya answered. "We know next to nothing about his army."

"How many Vasto Lorde exist?" Tatsuki wanted to know.

"That is also unknown," Hitsugaya sighed. "They're extremely rare and they stay in Hueco Mundo. It's been centuries since a confirmed sighting."

"Are they really so powerful?" Ichigo inquired.

"I'm afraid so," the boy captain nodded. "The last time one was seen it tore up a captain like he was a new recruit."

"That's terrible," Orihime shuddered.

"Yes," Hitsugaya nodded. "And now imagine they'd get a power-up from the Hougyouku." Now everybody shuddered.

"How would Aizen control a monster like this?" Kurosaki questioned.

"The only way is by being even stronger," Toushirou said.

"That's hard to imagine," Ikkaku said. "Aizen was always such a nerdy wimp. I can't imagine him as this strong."

"You haven't seen him in action," Hitsugaya replied. "We couldn't do anything against him."

"That's true," Ichigo added. "I could defeat Tousen and Ichimaru but the moment Aizen stepped in I was cut down so fast I didn't even see it."

"Tcha," Ikkaku scoffed. "I bet I could do better."

"You might yet get a chance," Hitsugaya said darkly.

They talked for a while after that, trying to come up with some strategy, but they couldn't come up with anything because they didn't know what they'd be up against. And also because the members of the Eleventh didn't quite get the meaning of the word 'strategy.' In the end they just decided on a patrol schedule and that whoever would sense an Arrancar would do his or her best to kill it.

After the meeting was over it came the time to decide where everybody would be staying. Matsumoto acted as if they were all staying with Ichigo, to which the youth replied that there wasn't enough space. The busty lieutenant reacted by making puppy dogs on him and unbuttoning her blouse. When it didn't work, she stated she was going to stay at Orihime's.

"Uh..." the red-haired girl said, taken aback.

"Orihime's too nice to tell you no," Tatsuki scowled at them. "You're trying to abuse her kindness."

"It's alright," Inoue smiled. "I live alone so it would be nice to have some company."

"In this time it's dangerous to be alone," Ishida said. After that Tatsuki didn't protest anymore, her mood turning somber again.

"And Momo-chan can come with us and we'd have a girls' night!" Rangiku suggested.

"That sounds like fun," Inoue agreed. Then she and her new houseguests headed out. Hitsugaya trailed after them, not a part of their group, but not willing to let them too far out of his sight.

Rukia stayed with Ichigo, but this time she wasn't hiding in his closet, but openly approached the head of the household and asked whether she could stay. She accompanied her request with such a cheesy sob story that it made Ichigo roll his eyes and wonder which stupid manga did she read it in. Then his father's reaction made him roll his eyes again and wonder how the obnoxious old man could buy such an obviously made-up story. But he didn't mind the results.

Renji headed off to Urahara's, claiming that he wanted to meet the man who had trained Ichigo and that he wanted to discuss something with him.

Ikkaku declared that a real man finds his own shelter and headed off in a random direction. Yumichika looked less than enthusiastic, but he followed his friend.


	9. A long night

**Author's note:** Chapter 9 finally here and as I promised with a lot of action. I hope you'll enjoy it. For those of you who are interested in my illystrations, there is one on my DA profile, link in my Author's profile page. Next chapter will be published whenever I write it.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**The Importance of the Name – A Long Night**

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The city looked peaceful. That was the first thing that came to Grimmjow's mind when they stepped out of the Garganta. Ulquiorra and Yammy had been here yesterday, killed a lot of people and the town still looked so freaking peaceful. It pissed the Sexta Espada off. Where was the panic? The despair? Didn't these stupid humans know they were in danger? How could they act so calm when they were going to die soon? It didn't matter, the Arrancar decided. Soon, they were all going to be screaming in terror and trying to escape and it would all be futile. His mouth watered at the thought and a bloodthirsty grin appeared on his face. Yes, they did well to come here, despite Aizen's orders.

"Let's use Pesquisa," the Espada commanded and his Fracción obeyed. Soon they could feel the reiatsu signatures in Karakura town clearly. There were lots of them and many were powerful. That was a lot more than Ulquiorra had reported. Soul Society must have sent in reinforcements. Grimmjow's grin widened. This was great. It was going to be a glorious fight ending with the destruction of the shinigami unlucky enough to be stationed here. It was going to be well worth whatever punishment would Aizen dish out for their disobedience.

"Everybody pick your target and scatter," he commanded his companions. The white-clad figures ran off in different directions. Grimmjow watched them go for a moment. Then he departed too, heading straight for the source of the strongest reiatsu.

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"They're here!" Hinamori exclaimed when she felt the spiritual pressure slam into her. It wasn't like any reiatsu she had felt before, yet she immediately knew what it was. The Arrancar! She was finally going to see Aizen-taichou's creations with her own two eyes. She was so excited! But she couldn't let it show in front of Shiro-chan and Matsumoto-san. She had to get away. But how to do it without looking suspicious?

"There's six of them," Matsumoto stated after consulting her Soul Phone.

"Are they all covered?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Uh... let's see... no," Matsumoto said. "There's no-one strong enough to fight this one," she pointed at one dot on the screen. Momo rejoiced inwardly. This was her opportunity!

"I'll take it!" she announced and shunpoed away before Hitsugaya-kun could forbid her.

"Hinamori!" The young captain called after her retreating back. He looked like he wanted to rush after her.

"Hey, captain, one is almost upon us!" Matsumoto announced. "And it's a strong one. We can't leave Orihime-chan alone! Hinamori can take care of herself!" Hitsugaya didn't like it, but he understood her logic. Besides the Arrancar was already within his sight and judging from his reiatsu he was a really strong one. He couldn't make Matsumoto face this one alone. He drew his zanpakutou and prepared to fight.

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Ichigo felt the reiatsu of the approaching Arrancar clearly. That wasn't thanks to any improvement in his reiatsu-sensing abilities, but due to the fact that the reiatsu was really big. Almost like that Ulquiorra guy who had defeated him yesterday. He imagined another such fight happening near his home. It wasn't a pretty image. He quickly abandoned his body and raced to meet the approaching enemy halfway.

"Wait!" Rukia shouted after him. "Where are you going?" But he ignored her. The girl just sighed in exasperation before following him.

Ichigo soon reached the source of the enormous reiatsu and stopped. The Arrancar soon revealed himself. He was a tall man with blue hair and a piece of jawbone attached to his face. His skimpy jacket revealed a hole through his stomach.

"So," the newcomer spoke, "are you the strongest guy around here?"

"Who's asking?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes in preparation for battle.

"I'm Arrancar 6, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," he introduced himself. "And you're the guy Ulquiorra didn't kill, aren't you?"

"Yes. I am Kurosaki Ichigo."

"That's great," Grimmjow grinned. "I came here to finish Ulquiorra's work." Ichigo tensed in anticipation of an attack.

"Ichigo!" Rukia's voice called to him. He didn't dare to look away from Grimmjow. "Don't do anything reckless!"

"So there are two of you now?" Grimmjow raised one blue eyebrow. "Well, this might yet be interesting. So, which one of you is stronger?" Ichigo stepped forward and drew Zangetsu. Grimmjow moved in a flash. Ichigo prepared to defend before he realized that the Arrancar wasn't moving towards him. _Rukia! _He turned around and tackled Grimmjow just as he was about to put his hand through Rukia's chest. The girl, in shinigami form, Ichigo noticed, drew her zanpakutou and tried to block, but the boy doubted it would have been enough. But Ichigo didn't let it get that far. He rushed at the Arrancar and tackled him.

"So it's you," Grimmjow said as he sprung to his feet.

"You don't have to protect me!" Rukia shouted angrily.

"He'd kill you!" Ichigo shouted back.

"Damn right I would," Grimmjow said. "A weakling like you would just get underfoot." Ichigo punched him. The Arrancar barely flinched.

"Weakling?" Rukia growled. "I'm going to show you weakling. Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Her zanpakutou turned all white, with a pristine white ribbon attached to the hilt. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Too bad that no-one but her stopped to admire it. Ichigo and Grimmjow were too busy exchanging blows to notice it.

"Men," Rukia huffed. She had really hoped Ichigo would compliment her shikai. But he was so engrossed in his fight to pay any attention to her. Well, then she'd have to show him her strength. But as she took note of the speed and strength of the blows exchanged, she realized that this fight was above her level. But she didn't back off. She refused to be the weak one needing to be saved anymore. She was a trained shinigami and she had lots of tricks up her sleeve. She could hinder the Arrancar seriously. She knew exactly how would she do it. She just had to pick the right moment. And so Rukia waited for her chance to finally shine.

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Renji was sitting on the ground, staring at the closed door of the Urahara Shouten, when the reiatsu hit. Hollow, but not quite. Though he had never felt anything like it before, he immediately knew what it was. Arrancar. He quickly swallowed his Gikongan, left his gigai and jumped to the roof of Urahara's shop, waiting for the one enemy he felt approaching to arrive. The Arrancar appeared soon. Renji was a bit surprised that he looked more human than Hollow, despite his huge stature. The only thing that gave away his true nature was the big hole in the middle of his chest. Even his mask fragment looked like some fancy glasses.

"So you're the guy unlucky enough to fight me?" the Arrancar asked.

"Are you sure it isn't you who's unlucky?" Abarai retorted, doing his best to sound macho.

"Big words, little guy," the Hollow-hybrid scoffed. It had been a very long time since anybody called Abarai Renji little. But this one could afford it. "Are you so sure you can back them up?"

"Why don't I show you?" the redhead suggested, unsheathing his zanpakutou. "I'm Abarai Renji, lieutenant of the Sixth Division."

"I am Arrancar Trece... well, it doesn't matter. You don't need to know my name because you're going to be dead soon."

"You have no manners, do you?" the fukutaichou scoffed. "Introducing yourself to your opponent is basic courtesy. They should know the name of the person who kills them."

"So you realize you're going to die," the Arrancar interpreted Renji's statement in his own way. "In that case, I'm Edrad Liones." That was as much talking as he was willing to engage in today. He attacked in the next moment. He moved surprisingly fast for someone of his bulk. It was all Renji could do to block and he was still sent flying. He winced. Such strength! He could immediately tell that he stood no chance here with his sword sealed.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" he commanded. His blade turned into its released form obediently.

"So that's it?" Edrad commented. "I've heard so much about shinigami's shikai and this doesn't seem like much. I'd expect better from a lieutenant."

"Don't judge until you see his strength," Renji replied, annoyed at the slight towards his sword. He charged. Zabimaru lengthened and sped towards the Arrancar. The saw-like whip sliced along his skin three times. When it retracted, Renji was shocked to see that it had absolutely no effect.

"Surprised?" Edrad asked. "This is Hierro. The iron skin all Arrancar have. The reiatsu there is so thick you puny shinigami can't cut through it. And now, it's my turn." His face twisted into a bloodthirsty smirk and he attacked. Renji cursed. This was going to be a very, very difficult fight. But he was going to win it. Somehow. If he just knew how.

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"They're finally here," Ikkaku grinned when he felt the putrid reiatsu. "Let's go, Yumichika." His flamboyant partner followed him as they both jumped out of their gigai and raced towards the enemy.

"Looks like there's only one for the two of us," the Fifth Seat observed.

"Then you won't have to mess up your hairdo," his bald friend replied.

"Here he is," Ayasegawa said as he spotted their enemy. "Hm... he has nice hair, but the jacket makes his skin look pasty. What's with Arrancar and wearing white? Do they have no fashion sense?"

"That's how Aizen-sama made us," the Arrancar answered.

"Oh, that explains it," Yumichika nodded in understanding. "He always dressed like a nerd."

"Don't insult Aizen-sama!" the Arrancar shouted and attacked Yumichika. Or tried to. Before he could get to him, Ikkaku blocked his path.

"Sorry, boy, you're fighting me tonight," he informed him with a bloodthirsty grin.

"What?" the blond Arrancar raised an eyebrow. "Is that sissy too weak to fight his own battles?"

"No," the Third Seat shook his head. "I'm higher-ranked so I get to pick my opponents first. If you want to fight him, you'd have to get through me first."

"Well, then I'll just have to kill you quickly, bro," the Arrancar stated confidently.

"That's how I like it," Ikkaku laughed. "I'm Madarame Ikkaku, Eleventh Division, Third Seat."

"I am Arrancar Fifteen, well, you don't need to hear my name, brother. You're going to be dead soon."

"Are you sure it won't be the other way around?" Ikkaku shot back.

"Arrogant one, aren't you, brother?" Yylfordt replied. "Let's see how long will you keep your confidence." And with those words he attacked. Ikkaku just smirked and blocked. Then he smirked even more when the blow sent him skidding backwards.

"It looks like you aren't just all talk," the bald fighter grinned happily. "I'm going to enjoy this a lot."

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The Arrancar was fast, that was the first impression Hitsugaya got from his enemy. It attacked him so fast that he barely blocked. The second impression was that he attacked from behind. Dishonorable, but effective. So this one was either a pragmatist or a coward. Which possibility was the correct one remained to be seen. Third impression was that the Arrancar didn't lose his haughty expression when his attack failed. So he was arrogant too. That was something he could work with. But it could also mean that the enemy had a reason for his confidence. That wouldn't be so good.

He didn't have the time to analyze his opponent further. The Arrancar flash stepped again and tried another sneak attack, this time with more power behind the blow. Hitsugaya blocked, but the power behind the attack forced him back. He grunted. This really didn't look good.

"Growl, Haineko!" Matsumoto decided that this wasn't the time to play around and took out the big guns. The cloud of grey ash attacked the Arrancar's back. He dodged. Hitsugaya expected to be attacked from behind again. He realized the enemy's true intent to late. By that time Shawlong stood behind Matsumoto. Hitsugaya opened his mouth to shout a warning, but the lieutenant was already turning around to face the threat. Too slow. Shawlong's hand struck her in the stomach. Matsumoto's eyes widened in pain and shock. She commanded Haineko's ashes to attack, but she barely scratched the Arrancar. Then he withdrew his hand from her belly and the woman collapsed.

Hitsugaya cursed silently. Matsumoto's wound didn't seem fatal, but she was out of the fight. He was on his own. That meant he couldn't afford to play around either. With a silent command, Hyourinmaru entered shikai. Hitsugaya sent an ice dragon hurling at Shawlong. The Arrancar dodged and flashed to Hitsugaya, trying to catch the young captain off guard again. Hitsugaya barely evaded his swipe. Three shallow cuts appeared on his torso. The battle was on and it didn't seem to be going in Hitsugaya's favor.

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Tatsuki headed out in the evening to speak to Chad. He usually wasn't her first choice of a confidant, but he was the only one in the same situation as her now. She wanted somebody to share her fears with and he was the only one she thought would understand. Ichigo, Ishida and all the shinigami were so strong. Orihime was a healer. Only Chad was a fighter on the same level as her.

"So what do you think?" she asked. Chad just looked at her from under his bangs. "It seems like we'll be fighting a lot more of those guys soon," she continued. The boy just nodded mutely. "Do we stand any chance?" Chad shrugged. "What can we do to defeat them?" Her companion remained silent. "Or will we be just baggage standing on the sidelines?"

"We can fight." Finally. Finally Chad spoke. Up to this moment Tatsuki had felt like she was talking to a wall.

"But what can we do if they show up again? We couldn't do anything the last time." She sighed. "It scares me. I've been always the strong one and now I'm suddenly the useless one." Chad didn't answer, just looked at her. Tatsuki sighed. This really felt like talking to a tree. Chad was even quieter than usual today. "You know, it would be nice if you said something," she sighed.

"Hm?"

"Maybe some suggestion on how to fight somebody who's so much stronger than us," she prompted. Her only response was a shrug. _Why am I even trying, _she thought.

Then the reiatsu slammed into them. They froze for a moment, both recalling the last time they felt similar power. But this one was different. It wasn't as strong. Both fighters recognized that it came from several different sources and that one of them was heading straight for them. Thankfully it wasn't the strongest one.

"Looks like we can show what fighters we are soon," Tatsuki remarked. She had centered herself and pushed her fear away. Now only anticipation of battle remained. Chad nodded mutely beside her. He too tensed in expectation of a fight. Together they waited for the Arrancar to appear.

They didn't have to wait long. The Arrancar arrived shortly. He was big. It wasn't his height, though he was quite tall, but his width that made him appear so. Tatsuki's first impression was that he was just as wide as he was tall, though that would be exaggerating a lot. He was only half as wide, but that still made him look grossly overweight. But the karate mistress suspected that it wasn't useless fat but the muscled bulk of sumo wrestlers, comically round but dangerous in battle.

The second impression was that he was clothed in similar style as the two abominations that had murdered all the people in the park and nearly killed her and Chad too. It was obvious that they belonged to the same group. That made Tatsuki want to beat him bloody when she couldn't beat Ulquiorra. Chad was experiencing similar feelings, even though he didn't show them.

The third impression that the scowling white mask covering the right side of his pudgy face made him look funny rather than menacing, but she knew better than to let herself get distracted by it. This was clearly a dangerous opponent. She just hoped he couldn't make everybody around just drop dead like Yammy had done and if he could do it, that he wouldn't do that.

The Arrancar studied them silently for a moment. Both teenagers used the time to activate their techniques. Then the white-clad half-Hollow attacked without warning. Tatsuki was lucky that the shadow cast by one streetlamp warned her about his new position: right behind her back. She dodged with all her supernatural speed. Nakeem's fist shattered the pavement she had stood on a moment ago.

The Arrancar seemed a bit confused that his prey had escaped and Chad capitalized on that momentarily distraction. His armored right arm hit the fat Arrancar in the ribs. Nakeem opened his mouth, looking a bit surprised that the punch had actually hurt. By that time Tatsuki had turned around and charged at him with a yell. Her right fist struck his elbow. The girl wanted to follow with her left fist, but she struck only air. Even hurt and confused, Nakeem retained enough battle reflexes to dodge.

He slipped out of Sonido on the other end of the street. He paused for a moment, considering his situation. He had come here expecting some easy prey, but he had run into fighters of some ability instead. He should finish them quickly. He opened his eyes and charged a Cero.

Tatsuki cursed as she saw the bright yellow ball form in the Arrancar's mouth. She had seen a Cero only once before, but she immediately recognized it for what it was and knew that it was dangerous. Her instincts screamed at her to dodge. But they were standing in the middle of a narrow street with tall apartment houses on both sides. There was nowhere to dodge.

She was wracking her brain for something she could do in this situation when Chad calmly stood in front of her, his right arm already blazing with energy. Just as Nakeem let loose his Cero, Chad swung his arm and sent an energy blast to meet it halfway. The two attacks crashed with a loud bang that almost made Tatsuki stumble. But the Cero didn't reach them.

The visible half of Nakeem's face looked stupid when he saw that his attack had no effect. He grunted and drew his sword. Then he used Sonido to get behind his opponent's back again. This time he picked Chad. The boy wasn't fast enough to dodge, but Tatsuki noticed what was going on and charged at him. She jump-kicked the wrist of his sword arm, making him hit only the pavement. Then Chad turned around and punched him in the stomach. The Arrancar grunted and punched Chad with his left fist. It sent the big boy flying.

Tatsuki screamed and punched Nakeem's side. Then she punched the same spot again with her other fist. Bloody red lines appeared around the point of impact. The Arrancar kicked her away. She landed on the ground, her breath knocked out of her. The giant man appeared above her, sword poised to strike. Then he whirled around, using his sword to block Chad's energy blast. The half-Mexican boy was on his feet and fighting again. But all he could do at the distance was to force the Arrancar to take a step back from Tatsuki. The girl used the brief reprieve to scramble away and catch her breath. Her ribs hurt badly. She suspected some of them might be cracked.

She watched as the Arrancar shook off the effects of Chad's attack. He was wounded, but it didn't seem serious. And there was one more thing that worried Tatsuki about him.

"Is it just me or did he get bigger?"

"He did," Chad replied. Tatsuki nodded. She was glad that their opponent had really gotten bigger. It meant that she hadn't hit her head hard enough to start hallucinating. But it brought the problem of how to defeat an opponent when they could reach only his waist. Wait, what kind of stupid question was that? Their opponent was a man so being able to reach his waist was more than high enough.

Tatsuki's eyes gleamed with an unholy light and her face twisted into a malicious smirk. If her attention wasn't fixed on the Arrancar, it would have made Chad worried. This way he only prepared to support his comrade in whatever plan she had come up with.

Tatsuki concentrated on her speed and charged. She closed the distance between her and her target in just over a second. Nakeem swung his zanpakutou at her, but she dodged under it. Then she punched him, well, below the waist. Nakeem's face twisted in pain. Tatsuki hit again. The Arrancar stumbled back. Yellow Cero appeared in his mouth. The girl paused. She could hit him again, but then he'd fry her with the Cero. She had to dodge, but there wasn't enough room on the narrow street. And even if she did, then the Cero would hit Chad. He would probably survive, but she didn't want to chance it. She did the only thing that came to her mind: she kicked at the Arrancar's knee. She thought that it might make him stumble and miss. Then she'd realized that he'd probably hit one of the houses around, most likely one with people still in it. So she wasn't too disappointed when her kick had no visible effect.

She saw the light above her brighten and tensed as she anticipated the searing pain. Instead there was a loud explosion. Chad had used his energy blast to hit the Arrancar in the head before he could fry Tatsuki. It saved her life, but the resulting kaboom knocked her to the ground. She lay on the ground, trying to make sense of the ringing in her ears and remember where was up and where down.

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Hinamori was glad that she was alone. She had been worried that Toushirou-kun would follow her and then she'd have a hard time acting. But because she had managed to slip away while the young captain was preoccupied with his own opponent, she could meet with the Arrancar without any witnesses. She didn't have to run far before encountering one.

This one had the appearance of a young man dressed in white with a large chunk of bone on his head that was partially wrapped in bandages. He had chin-length grey hair, dark eyes, wide mouth full of big teeth and there was a gaping hole through the middle of his chest. His reiatsu was strong. Momo felt a moment of awe for Aizen-taichou for creating something as magnificent as this creature.

When the Arrancar saw her, he grinned widely. "What a little shinigami do we have here."

"I am Hinamori..." the girl began to introduce herself, but he interrupted her.

"I don't want to hear the names of everybody I'm going to kill tonight. It would get bothersome after a while." So that moron didn't realize who she was, Momo thought with anger.

"I'm Aizen's servant too," she hissed.

"Are you trying to talk your way out?" the Arrancar raised an eyebrow. "It isn't going to help you. We came here to kill everybody. By the way, I am Di Roy Rinker, Arrancar number 16, so you know who's going to kill you."

"And I am... ugh." Hinamori crashed into a nearby wall hard after Di Roy punched her in the stomach.

"I said no names," he chided. "I'm going to play with you for a while and then I'm going to kill you."

"Didn't Aizen-taichou tell you about me? Didn't he send you here to contact me?" Momo tried to reason with him.

"Nah," the Arrancar shook his head. "Aizen doesn't know we're here. It was Grimmjow's idea."

"So you're rebels," Hinamori stated, her eyes hardening.

"No, we're doing Aizen a service by finishing off what Ulquiorra couldn't," Di Roy disagreed.

"But you're disobeying his orders," Momo stated. "Good. Then I don't have to feel bad about this. Sai!" Di Roy jerked a bit, but the lowest of Bakudou wasn't enough to hold him. Hinamori didn't expect it to, just to occupy the traitorous Arrancar for a while. "Hainawa!" she immediately followed with another spell. The golden rope wrapped around Di Roy's arms.

"If you think this will hold me, think again, girl," the Arrancar scoffed. Then he broke the binding easily. But the few seconds it took him were enough for Hinamori. Her zanpakutou was in her hand in an instant.

"Snap, Tobiume!" she shouted. The blade straightened and three prongs grew from it. When Di Roy attacked her, the released blade stopped him without much effort. Momo tried to push him off, but he was too strong. But she wasn't helpless either.

"Snap!" she shouted. Flames enveloped her blade. Di Roy hissed and jumped back. Hinamori swung Tobiume down and sent a fireball flying after him. He dodged, but the sleeve of his vest got charred. Hinamori already charged another fireball.

Di Roy charged straight at her. Momo stood her ground.

"Shakkahou!" she shouted. The red ball of destructive Kidou flew at him, but slightly off-center. That was intentional to force him to dodge the other way. An experienced warrior would recognize the feint for what it was, but Di Roy wasn't the smartest Arrancar in Hueco Mundo. He reacted exactly like the lieutenant wanted him to. Momo didn't waste her time on smirking, no matter how strong the temptation was, and launched her next attack.

"Snap!" the fireball from her zanpakutou flew forward and caught Di Roy in the face mid-jump. He fell on his back, but he was still alive. Momo appeared next to his head in a flash. The dazed Arrancar didn't even see her until she buried her zanpakutou in his forehead with a yell. Then, for good measure, she shot another fireball from her zanpakutou to obliterate his head completely.

"That's for disobeying Aizen-taichou," she informed his prone corpse.

Then she resealed her zanpakutou and felt for her companions. It looked like she was the first one finished. She couldn't be completely sure with the amount of reiatsu being tossed around, but it felt like everybody was fighting. She could clearly feel Shiro-chan, Matsumoto, Abarai-kun, Madarame, Ayasegawa and Kurosaki. She couldn't feel Kuchiki-san. She felt a pang of worry for her. But why was she worrying for her? All the shinigami here were enemies of Aizen-taichou. But the Arrancar had disobeyed him. So were they his enemies too? Or would he forgive them? She didn't know.

So what should she do? She decided not to get involved in the battles. Aizen-taichou hadn't called on her yet, so she shouldn't break her cover. And she didn't want to fight against Aizen-taichou's servants as well. They were on the same side after all. Waiting seemed like the best option. She could just claim that the Arrancar had hit her worse than it seemed or that she didn't want to intrude on another's battle. She didn't have to worry about her cover being blown. She had killed an Arrancar and she had a wound to prove that there had been really a fight.

With the thought, Hinamori settled down to wait.

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"Di Roy is dead," Edrad Liones suddenly stated, pausing the battle. Renji could have attacked him in the moment of distraction, but instead he used the brief reprieve to catch his breath. This battle wasn't going his way. He had soon realized that his shikai was doing absolutely nothing to the huge Arrancar no matter how hard he tried and released his Bankai. It didn't help him as much as he thought it would. The fight wasn't so one-sided anymore, but Edrad had little trouble blocking or avoiding the lieutenant's attacks. It might be partially because Abarai didn't have a good control over his Bankai yet. There were a couple of times when he didn't score an easy hit because the coils of Hihiou Zabimaru refused to move the way he wanted them to.

"That idiot," Edrad scoffed. That turned Renji's thoughts towards another aspect of the current situation. One of the Arrancar was dead. Good. But that also meant that somebody had defeated him quite fast. He wasn't sure who it was; he would have to concentrate to make sense of the mess of reiatsu around and that would leave him open for an attack. So all he knew now was that somebody was a lot better in dealing with Arrancar. Maybe Ikkaku... no, he could still feel his reiatsu raised. And Ichigo was also still fighting and the icy winds occasionally blowing their way suggested Hitsugaya wasn't finished with his opponent either. Those three were the people he'd readily admit were stronger than him. That there was somebody else good enough to dispatch an Arrancar easily while he was struggling so hard was a humbling thought. He still had a very long way to go before he finally surpassed Kuchiki-taichou. And that was only if he survived today.

"He was always a disgrace to all Arrancar," the white fiend continued condescendingly. So the dead one had been a weakling? Renji thought. That made him feel a bit better. Maybe he was just unlucky and was faced with the strongest enemy. But he immediately knew that it wasn't true. The monster in front of him was an average one. He immediately felt sorry for whoever had picked the strongest one. But he had no time to worry about them. He had to worry about himself. So what could he do now? He could use the brief reprieve to charge a powerful attack.

The coils of Hihiou Zabimaru glowed with inner light. Edrad wasn't paying it much attention. Good. Renji gave his all into this shot.

"Hikotsu Taihou!" The bone snake sprang forward, charging straight at the Arrancar. The glowing energy within the spine brightened and shot forward. Edrad didn't react in time. The beam hit him straight in the chest. Renji sighed in relief as his opponent was sent flying. Then his victorious smile froze as he realized he could still feel Liones' reiatsu. And soon he could see the man too. He was dusting himself off, the front of his chest bloody, but it didn't look like a serious wound.

"Well," Edrad spoke, "I have to admit this wasn't bad, but it wasn't good enough either." Then he attacked. The wound wasn't slowing him down any and there was more anger behind his attacks now. Renji gulped. He was in big trouble here.

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Ichigo grunted. He slashed at Grimmjow with all his might, but the Arrancar blocked it with his bare hand, making it look completely effortless, and laughed. Then he punched Ichigo with his other hand. The redhead barely managed to twist his body to prevent serious injury, but the blow still sent him skidding backwards. So far their whole fight had been going on similar note.

"Come on!" Grimmjow prodded. "Is that all you've got? I don't get why Ulquiorra didn't smash you like the bug you are!"

In response Ichigo gathered his reiatsu. "Getsuga Tenshou!" The crescent moon of bluish-white energy shot at Grimmjow. The Espada used both his arms to block, but he remained unharmed.

"This didn't even sting," he said.

"Is that so?" Ichigo asked. "So what about this? Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!" As soon as the whirl of black energy around him died down, Ichigo flashed forward. Grimmjow's eyes widened in surprise. He barely managed to lift his forearm in time to block the furious slash of Ichigo's black blade. A thin red line appeared on his forearm where Tensa Zangetsu impacted with his skin. He looked startled for a bit and then he grinned.

"That's more like it!" Then he drew his sword and attacked. The attack was much more furious and powerful that anything the Arrancar had shown so far. It was now Ichigo's turn to look surprised and barely block. Grimmjow pressed the attack.

Ichigo found himself on the defensive. Grimmjow was really good and skilled with the blade. Ichigo had to employ all his strength and agility to avoid an injury. But he knew that he couldn't keep that up for long. So what could he do to turn the tables on the Arrancar? He was wary of trying to increase his speed, he got phantom pain in his legs every time he remembered the last time he did it. The clashes of their swords came too quickly after one another to charge a Getsuga Tenshou properly. But maybe he could try it anyway, it might give him enough of a breather to prepare a proper attack.

Just as he thought that he should try it, he noticed Rukia. The girl got behind Grimmjow's back, but instead of trying to attack him, she waved her sword around and conjured a white circle on the ground. Just what was it? Ichigo had no time to ponder about it because even the moment of inattention meant that Grimmjow's sword got uncomfortably close to his throat. He had to concentrate on blocking.

Then he noticed Rukia making a beckoning motion. Did she want him to come to her? Then she touched her jaw, made a grimace and pointed at the circle on the ground. What did that mean? Rukia repeated her strange gesture. Then Ichigo understood. She wanted him to get Grimmjow into the circle. He didn't know what her plan was, but he trusted her to know what she was doing. So how could he force the Arrancar to take several steps back? Well, he had been thinking about it just a moment ago.

With a thought his sword was enveloped in black reishi. During the next clash he pushed Grimmjow back. It didn't hurt him, but it got him onto Rukia's circle.

"What..." the blue-haired Arrancar started, but didn't finish. He was cut off by the column of ice suddenly enveloping him. Ichigo gaped. Rukia smiled smugly.

"How do you like it?" she asked.

"Great," Ichigo said snapping out of his stupor. He could still feel Grimmjow's reiatsu so he knew this wasn't the end of it. He spun Tensa Zangetsu by the chain, charging energy into it.

Almost as soon as he began there was a cracking sound and the pillar of ice shattered. Grimmjow emerged, looking pissed.

"You..." he started, but Ichigo interrupted him.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" The black crescent of reishi, fully charged and concentrated into a small area hit him square in the chest. He was flung back and crashed through the nearest house.

"We got him!" Rukia cheered.

"He's still alive," Ichigo pointed out.

"He can't be in the state to fight after this hit," the girl disagreed.

A rumble from the ruined building proved her wrong. When Grimmjow appeared from the wreckage, he was bloodied, but steady on his feet.

"That hurt, bitches," he growled. Then he grinned. "It's going to be fun killing you!" He and Ichigo started forward at the same time. They clashed halfway. The fight was on again.

Rukia found herself watching from the sidelines once more. She didn't like it, but she understood that she couldn't match the power of the two combatants. Her Tsukishiro barely slowed Grimmjow down. But it gave Ichigo the opportunity to hit the Espada with his strongest attack (which only wounded him slightly). So maybe she could influence the fight's outcome, even if all she could do was distract the Arrancar. She doubted he'd fall for the same trick twice. So what else could she do? Well, she had more tricks up her sleeve. She just had to wait for an opportunity again.

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It was soon after he released his shikai that Ikkaku noticed something odd about his enemy. He stopped going in for the kill. There were a few occasions when he could have wounded the Third Seat severely had he attacked his torso, but instead he turned his attack elsewhere, causing absolutely no damage. When it happened for the fifth time, the bald man was overcome with his curiosity and asked.

"What's wrong with you? I was wide open yet you didn't attack me. Are you dumb or what?"

"Shut up!" Yylfordt shouted angrily. He attacked again and Madarame lifted the three-piece spear of Houzukimaru to block. Once again he watched as the Arrancar changed direction mid-attack. This time he actually did some damage: A few strands from the tassel on the blunt end of Houzukimaru were caught under his nails. Yylfordt squeezed them angrily, looking disappointed that he couldn't crush them, before throwing them away. Ikkaku found the scene quite odd. Did the smug guy have something against tassels? That was crazy, but the world was full of crazy people. He decided to test his theory.

He attacked, but instead of trying to actually wound his opponent he just waved the tassel in his face. The Arrancar made a sound like an angry beast and tried to snatch it. Ikkaku retracted it from his reach and used the moment of inattention to kick Yylfordt. It didn't have much effect, but it showed that this strategy worked. So Ikkaku used it again.

This went on for over a minute. The Third Seat scored some hits that barely cut through Yylfordt's Hierro and received some he shrugged off. During the time his opponent was getting progressively angrier and angrier. The shinigami reckoned that it wouldn't take long before he'd snap. And he was right. After another close call when he nearly got the tassel and Ikkaku scratched his shoulder, the blond man stopped, ignored Ikkaku's next taunt and shouted:

"Skewer, Del Toro!" Reiatsu whirled around him. It was so intense. Madarame took a step back and watched what was happening. Soon the whirlwind of power died down, revealing his opponent. He didn't look like a slim man anymore. In fact, he had changed so much that Ikkaku wouldn't recognize him as the same person in different circumstances. From the waist down he remained more-or-less the same, just gaining some bulk. The upper part of his body gained even more mass and was covered in white bone armor. His face disappeared under a mask completely, only his long hair flowing down his back hinting at his identity. The mask resembled the head of a bull, complete with horns.

The bald shinigami took the sight in. He had never witnessed anything like it.

"What's that?" he asked. He didn't really expect an answer, so he was quite surprised when he got one.

"Ressureción. This is how we Arrancar release our true power." Then he decided that it was enough talking and a demonstration of his new strength would be better, so he charged at Ikkaku. He was now much faster and much stronger. The Third Seat barely avoided the horns poised to skewer him, but the Arrancar still slammed his shoulder into him, sending him flying. And just as Ikkaku was getting to his feet, Yylfordt charged again. This time the Eleventh Division member was saved only because his foe got distracted by Houzukimaru's tassel again.

_Seriously, what's wrong with him? _the bald fighter wondered staring at the tassel. _The red tassel._ Then he looked at the Arrancar and took note of his bull-like appearance. _Don't tell me... _Then he broke out laughing. He noticed Yumichika staring at him as if he had lost his mind, but he couldn't help himself. This was just so rich. So this Yylfordt might be strong and fast and smart, but deep inside he was just a dumb animal. A bull charging blindly after anything red. Ikkaku imagined what would have happened if Yylfordt fought Abarai instead of him. The beast would go blindly after his head.

His good fun was interrupted by the monstrous bull rushing at him again. Ikkaku barely scrambled out of his way. He was in good spirits. Now he knew his opponent's weakness, he could exploit it. He had never played at being a matador before, but now was a great time to begin. He was going to enjoy it very much.

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"Matsumoto-san!" Orihime cried. She rushed to the downed woman.

"I'm alright," the busty blonde hissed, trying to get up. Her body refused to work in its current condition and she promptly slumped down.

"Souten Kisshun!" Inoue called. The golden shield enveloped the wounded shinigami. "I'll put you together in no time," the redhead promised, despite knowing that healing this level of wounds would take quite some time.

"Thanks," Matsumoto said. She didn't like lying around when her captain was fighting, but she understood that she had no choice. But she still hated it. So she silently urged Orihime's fairies to work faster and watched Hitsugaya's fight.

It wasn't going well. Shawlong was tossing the prodigy around. New wounds kept appearing on Hitsugaya's body after every one of the Arrancar's attacks. After Toushirou just barely avoided losing an arm, he decided that enough was enough and released Bankai. The power of Daiguren Hyourinmaru seemed to turn the tides of the battle, but then Shawlong began really trying. Hitsugaya found himself on the defensive again.

The white-haired boy was cursing the Power Limiter silently. Without it, he could end this battle in one swing. With it, he had to fight for a long time, which defied the purpose of minimizing the damage inflicted to the Living World. If he could just fight at his full strength, he could finish this quickly and then help the others. But because his power was reduced so greatly, his body was now full of wounds that weren't bleeding only because he covered them in ice and his strength was waning fast. His flowers were breaking. Activating Bankai with the Power Limiter on was very taxing and he couldn't keep it going as long as he could without it.

He had always suspected that the Power Limiter bound more than just four fifths of his power. The eighty percent was just the average anyway. Some shinigami were affected more, others less. Hitsugaya was affected a lot. But when he asked Kurotsuchi about making the Limiter less restrictive, the Twelfth Division Captain said that their Power Limiters worked just like they were supposed to and whiny brats like him shouldn't try to blame their inadequacies on others. When Hitsugaya suggested that maybe it reacted strangely with his reiryoku because it was still immature, Kurotsuchi said that it was impossible, but it was worth some research and would Hitsugaya please come to the SRDI? After that, Toushirou quickly excused himself (he didn't run) and didn't talk to Kurotsuchi about it again.

Shawlong's claws came dangerously close to ending Hitsugaya's life once again. As the boy scampered away after the attack, he looked down where Matsumoto was lying under Orihime's shield. He looked at her and gave a nod. He hoped that she'd understand and that the Arrancar wouldn't. Then he proceeded to fight for his life and hope that he'd last long enough.

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_What was a little girl doing here?_ Renji thought with horror. As if his situation wasn't already bad enough. Edrad was tossing him around like a ball and the few wounds he had inflicted on the Arrancar barely counted. And then suddenly a little girl appeared out of nowhere and kicked Edrad in the face. Even more surprising was that she actually broke his nose and cracked his mask slightly. What happened next was completely unsurprising: Edrad punched her and sent her crushing into the ground. Abarai didn't doubt that half of the bones in her petite body were broken. She fell down and lay limp like a discarded doll. The Arrancar turned to finish her off and Renji attacked him to distract him from his intention. The situation was getting worse by the minute. It was all he could do to fight for his life. He couldn't protect someone else as well. Fortunately then a boy barely older than the girl appeared and carried her away. Edrad let them go, concentrating on Renji. That took care of one problem, but left him with another. The look the Arrancar was shooting him now was really pissed.

"Well, little annoyances are popping up," he stated. "I should finish this quickly. Erupt, Volcánica!" The Sixth Division lieutenant could only stare as his opponent was enveloped in a whirlpool of reiatsu. When it died down, it revealed that his opponent had changed. His arms became huge, making him look like a white gorilla. A white gorilla wearing armor and emitting humongous reiatsu.

"What's that?" Renji asked, trying not to tremble.

"Surprised?" Edrad smirked. "That's how we Arrancar release our zanpakutou. It's different from you shinigami. We Arrancar seal part of our power inside. So by releasing it, we regain our true forms and true power. Behold mine!" as he said that, his right arm began glowing orange, resembling molten metal. Flames came from his shoulder. Then Edrad attacked. Abarai lifted his zanpakutou to block, but the flaming fist broke easily through the bones of Hihiou Zabimaru. Renji was sent flying.

It hurt. It hurt a lot. As the redhead slowly picked himself from the ground, wondering whether some of his ribs were still in one piece, he realized he was in big trouble.

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Grimmjow was wounded and he still had the upper hand. Just how good he really was? Was he still toying with Ichigo? The redhead scowled. He really didn't like the prospect. He should kill the Arrancar before the blue-haired monster decided he had enough playing around and stepped up the fight another notch. But how should he do it when even his strongest attack wasn't enough to do the trick? Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Rukia looking for an opportunity for a sneak attack, but even her help wasn't going to change the odds much.

"So is that all you can do?" Grimmjow asked. "You know, Ichigo, you looked interesting when you wounded me, but you haven't done anything since then! I hoped for a better fight! This is making me depressed!"

"You get depressed easily," Ichigo observed. "But if you still want a better fight, then I'll oblige!"

As Rukia saw that the two combatants stopped to exchange insults, she recognized her opportunity. Now she could assault Grimmjow's unprotected back, if Ichigo could keep his attention on himself for a little longer. She didn't dare to come too close to the Arrancar, because no matter how distracted he was, he would surely notice that. She had to attack from a distance.

"Tsugi no mai: Hakuren," she whispered, not daring to raise her voice. She punctured the ground in front of her four times and four small columns of ice formed, growing quickly. Grimmjow was still preoccupied and didn't notice it. Good. Rukia let her attack loose.

The mass of ice shot forward. For a moment it seemed that her plan would succeed and Grimmjow was going to be frozen. But then the Arrancar noticed the danger and flashed away. Rukia's eyes widened in fear when she realized that she was going to hit only Ichigo. She had no time to angst over it because Grimmjow appeared next to her. She lifted Sode no Shirayuki for defense, but she couldn't do anything against the Sexta Espada. His fist knocked her to the ground, breaking several ribs in the process.

"Don't interfere in our fight, woman!" the blue-haired Arrancar snarled and lifted his zanpakutou in preparation to finish her off. Rukia knew she couldn't stop him. She tried to lift her sword, but her arms felt so heavy. Grimmjow's fist must have done more damage than she had initially thought.

Just when she thought she was going to die for sure, Ichigo appeared. The youth's shihakushou was covered in frost, but he looked unharmed. Good, Rukia thought. It would have been really stupid if her attack wounded only her ally. She saw as Ichigo attacked Grimmjow furiously and the Arrancar turned around to block. Then her eyes closed on their own and she couldn't see any more.

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Ikkaku was slowly coming to the conclusion that knowing his opponent's weak point and being actually able to do something about it were two very different things. Yylfordt was just too strong. The Third Seat couldn't count all the wounds he was bleeding from and there was barely a scratch on his opponent. And the Arrancar was now more interested in the blood staining his body than in the tassel. A bad situation indeed. He saw Yumichika watching him worriedly. The Fifth Seat was trying to look nonchalant, but to his best friend his anxiety was obvious. Even a proud member of the Eleventh Division can't watch calmly when his comrade is losing a battle. But he wasn't going to interfere in another's fight no matter what. Ikkaku idly wondered whether the vain man had already ordered his funeral. If so, he was going to disappoint whoever was preparing it. He had no intention of dying here. Even if it meant doing something he'd rather not do. But no true shinigami of the Eleventh Division would dare to die without fighting his best fight.

"Well, Arrancar, you're lucky," he spoke. "You're going to see something few people ever saw. Bankai: Ryuumon Houzukimaru!" Reiatsu enveloped him. Yylfordt huffed like an angry bull and for a moment Ikkaku was afraid that he'd charge at him before he'd finish releasing. But it didn't happen. The weapon changed shape in his hands and he could feel his zanpakutou spirit awakening. Everything was alright. Nothing stood between him and victory now.

"So how do you like it?" the bald man asked. The longer he'd talk, the more power would Ryuumon Houzukimaru gain and the more devastating would his first attack be. Unfortunately Yylfordt wasn't going to give him the time. He charged almost before the Third Seat finished the sentence. Ikkaku grinned and met his charge with his own attack. The monk's spade cracked the bull's skull mask covering the Arrancar's head. The skull underneath remained intact, but Yylfordt's charge lost its momentum. He merely pushed Ikkaku a few steps back.

Madarame was very glad that he was just a Third Seat at the moment. Had his power been reduced to just one fifth, he wouldn't have withstood this attack. But he still didn't have enough power to defeat the Arrancar. But that was just a matter of time. He spun Ryuumon Houzukimaru above his head. Red paint flowed into the dragon crest. He felt his power increasing. Soon he'd have the strength necessary to win.

Yylfordt roared like a wounded animal and charged again. Ikkaku sidestepped and swung the axe into Yylfordt's shoulder. It took out a chunk of the bone armor, but unfortunatelly cracks appeared on the zanpakutou's edge too. And the Arrancar's arm hit him as the beast was passing him, sending the shinigami flying. Ikkaku landed on his back with a pained yelp. Blood flowed from his wounds. But he didn't mind. Every drop of blood spilled made Houzukimaru awaken faster. The red dye trickled into the crest with increased speed, making Ikkaku stronger. Soon and he'd reach his maximum power.

As he stood up, he saw that Yylfordt was already facing him, preparing for a charge. This time Ikkaku wasn't going to just wait for him. With a battle cry he rushed forward. He met the Arrancar halfway. The white horns clashed with the giant weapon. They shattered. Unfortunately so did the two outer pieces of Ryuumon Houzukimaru. And Yylfordt's momentum carried him onward. He slammed into Ikkaku, making him fly again.

This time it was hard to get up. The last hit had been strong, not only worsening his collection of wounds but probably adding some internal injuries on top of them. Ikkaku could tell from experience that he had only enough energy and time left for one last attack. But, he grinned, one attack was all that it was going to take. The crest of Ryuumon Houzukimaru was completely red now. His power was maxed. And most of Yylfordt's bone armor was shattered and the Arrancar had trouble moving. This was going to be a piece of cake.

He lifted the central piece of Ryuumon Houzukimaru, the only one that was still in good shape. "Come," he beckoned his foe. Yylfordt didn't need to be told twice. With a roar of an angry bull he charged. Ikkaku responded in kind. They met halfway. The bull's horned head met the blade with a deafening crash. Yylfordt's bulk slammed into Ikkaku and threw him away. The Third Seat couldn't keep his hold on his weapon anymore and it remained lodged deep inside the Arrancar's head. Ikkaku landed on the ground and slumped. Houzukimaru reverted into its sealed form and fell out of Yylfordt's head. The Arrancar made several steps towards him before collapsing. He didn't get up again.

Ikkaku watched with fading eyesight as Yumichika appeared next to him. "I knew you weren't dead," The Fifth Seat smiled, trying to sound nonchalant. But Madarame could clearly see just how worried he had been.

"Heh, I'm lucky this way," he stated. Then he fainted.

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Chad saw that the girl was down for the count. She wasn't as resistant to damage as he was. That wasn't good. Now it was just him against the Arrancar and the hybrid Hollow had already proven that he was faster than the high-schooler. If he used his flash-step again, Chad would be screwed before he could turn around. But fortunately for him Nakeem Grindina had no such plans. He just stood there, obviously dazed from the pain a bit. Then he grinned maliciously and assumed a theatrical pose, holding his katana in front of him.

"Stomp on them, Gigante," he said. Chad realized that it was the first time the Arrancar spoke. And what a sentence it was. The name of his zanpakutou sounded really ironic considering how Chad's power was called. Then he had more important things to worry about. Reiatsu whirled around the Arrancar. When it settled down, it revealed that Nakeem had changed. His mask now covered his whole face and his zanpakutou was nowhere to be seen. But these were just minor details. More important was that his injuries had disappeared. Everything he and Tatsuki had accomplished up to now had been negated. But that wasn't the worst thing. The worst thing was that he grew. He was just as tall as the apartment houses around them now. In fact, his bulk filled the whole street now. Chad wondered how he'd be able to move.

Then he realized that it was an advantage. The Arrancar was a really big target and if he couldn't dodge, there was no way Chad could miss. He charged his Right Arm of the Giant and sent an energy blast at Nakeem's mask. He did it just in time to distract the Arrancar from his intention to stomp on Tatsuki. The girl was slowly picking herself from the ground now, but she was still in no shape to dodge Nakeem's giant foot.

If Chad's blast caused any damage, the boy couldn't see it. But at least the giant forgot about Tatsuki and headed for Chad, knocking down street lights in the process. Chad fired his attack again. And again. And again. He could now see that it was causing damage, but it was only superficial. Considering the size of the enemy, he couldn't cause a wound deep enough to hit a vital organ (if the thing had any). But maybe if he hit the same spot twice, the damage would be more serious. The trouble was that hitting a moving target was easier said than done. He tried it anyway, but he missed narrowly.

By the time he was done, Nakeem was almost upon him. It occurred to Chad that he should worry about his own survival. Trying to escape didn't seem to be a viable option. He decided to sneak between the Giant's legs and attack him from the back. He doubted the Arrancar would be able to turn around in the enclosed space.

His plan had the flaw that Nakeem expected him to try it. Just as Chad was running between the two tall, thick legs, he noticed one foot heading right for him. It was too fast for him to dodge. He prepared for the impact. But then the foot veered off its course slightly. It still hit him, but with much less force. It just sent him rolling on the ground. As he came to a stop, he could see the reason. Tatsuki had reentered the fight and was now attacking the Arrancar's ankle furiously. Her fists were leaving marks of bloody lines wherever they hit.

Chad realized that this was exactly what he had been hoping for: a weakened spot that was easy enough to hit because he could literally walk up to it and punch it. He did just so. Nakeem screamed as the energy blast hit the wounded spot point blank. Then Tatsuki hit it with her fist and then with the other. And then she kicked it for good measure. By the time Chad prepared another energy attack and struck the now deeply bleeding wound, making it even deeper. Once they had broken through the Hierro, causing damage became much easier.

The Arrancar once again screamed in rage and tried to turn around to deal with the two teenagers. But his wounded leg couldn't carry his humongous weight anymore and he started toppling down.

"Crap!" Tatsuki screamed when she realized that the colossus was going to land on top of them. She grabbed Chad's left arm and started dragging him away. But with the boy's bulk weighing her down, even her enhanced speed wasn't enough. As Chad saw they were about to get crushed, he pushed her down under him and used his body as a shield. Then the Arrancar finally landed on them.

Nakeem's torso was crushing them down. It was a miracle that instead of getting completely flattened, the impact merely knocked them into the pavement hard. Tatsuki squirmed in the darkness crushing her. She was bruised a lot, but thanks to Chad shielding her, she stayed conscious and without a major injury. Her companion was much worse off. His body might have been able to shrug off a steel beam landing on it, but this was much worse. He was out cold and probably wounded seriously. He wasn't going to be any help in this fight. And Tatsuki could do nothing either. The two bodies crushing her prevented her from moving. She could move one hand a bit, but it wasn't enough to punch anything.

But considering that it was all she could do, that was what she did. She charged her power into her hand and tapped her fingers onto Nakeem's back. She had no illusions that it did anything worse than tickle him, but it would hopefully make him get off them and then she'd be able to actually do something. She could just hope that they wouldn't suffocate before that.

Just as she felt like she was going to suffocate and Nakeem still didn't move and she was about to give in to despair, she felt that another person entered the battlefield. Her heart lurched. They might be saved! As much as she didn't like being saved like some pampered princess, she recognized that this time she really needed it.

There was a spike in reiatsu followed by Nakeem's pained roar that nearly knocked her out, then another spike in reiatsu and then the crushing weight disappeared from her as the Arrancar's body began dissolving into a cloud of putrid black reishi. Soon she could breathe freely again. Then she heard rapid footsteps and then Ishida appeared next to her.

"Are you alright?" the Quincy asked.

"I'll live," she answered. "Chad's bad off." The boy took one look at his downed classmate and could immediately tell that Tatsuki wasn't exaggerating. If anything she understated the damage a bit. Even with his inhuman endurance Chad needed medical attention pronto. But hospitals would have unwanted questions and it wasn't guaranteed that the doctors would be able to help him. The injuries were just too excessive. Fortunately there was somebody who could heal anything.

"Let's get him to Inoue-san," he suggested. Tatsuki nodded. It was the only solution. Then they picked up the big boy and carried him towards Orihime's house, hoping that they won't be too late.

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"I request Limit Release for all captain and lieutenant-ranked shinigami in Karakura Town," Matsumoto spoke into her phone. "Repeat: Limit Release for Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto-fukutaichou and Abarai-fukutaichou."

"Your offer is being processed," an impersonal cold voice answered from the other side.

"What's limit release?" Orihime asked.

"Something that can get us out of this mess," Matsumoto replied. Speaking still hurt so she didn't feel like giving long explanations. "How much longer yet?"

"I'm not sure," Inoue shrugged. "I think I'm about halfway done." Matsumoto grimaced. That was too long. Orihime noticed it and willed more power into her technique, but Shun'ou and Ayame were already working as fast as they could.

"I hope we'll get the Limit Release soon," Rangiku said. But as she waited, there was no response to her request. _What are the freaks in the Twelfth doing? _She thought, but no answer came. _If they don't hurry up, taichou's going to end up dead._

Not long after she thought so, the fight above them took a sudden turn for the worse. The Arrancar finally released. Matsumoto watched in terror as he turned into some vaguely insect-like creature and his reiatsu increased several times. When he attacked Hitsugaya next time, he caused severe wounds. The young captain kept fighting, but the strain on him was obvious.

"I have to help him," Matsumoto stated.

"You aren't healed yet," Orihime pointed out.

"If I don't go there, taichou will die," the lieutenant said. Inoue nodded and deactivated the Souten Kisshun.

"I wish I could fight too, but Tsubaki has been destroyed." Her voice hitched as she said it.

"You already helped a lot, Orihime-chan," Rangiku cheered her up.

"Maybe I can help more," the redhead said. "Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily, follow her and protect her." The three fairies separated from her hairpins, nodded and gathered around Matsumoto.

"Thank you," the shinigami nodded before heading for the battle, the three tiny creatures circling around her.

She was just in time. Hitsugaya had just tried a risky attack that made one of his three remaining petals crumble and all he could do was cause his opponent some mild frostbite. Shawlong was ready to finish him off.

"Growl, Haineko!" Matsumoto released and immediately hurled the ashes at the Arrancar. He was a bit surprised, but that was all the effect it had.

"You again?" Shawlong scoffed. "If you stayed down, you could have lived longer. Allow me to show you your folly."

"You can try," the lieutenant said with more confidence than she felt. She could see Hitsugaya preparing a strong attack behind Shawlong's back. If Matsumoto could keep his attention on herself, her captain would have a better chance of striking down the foe.

Shawlong didn't answer. Instead he attacked. It was so fast that Matsumoto didn't even see it coming. But she wasn't cut down from the sky. The Arrancar's attack was stopped by a golden triangular shield. Shun Shun Rikka did their job.

Shawlong seemed confused by the occurrence. Matsumoto could clearly see it in his body language and she capitalized on it. She smirked condescendingly and said: "Loser." That enraged the Arrancar. He screamed in rage and attacked the shield with all his might. Cracks appeared, but that was all Shawlong managed to do. In his anger he failed to notice Hitsugaya charging at him from behind. Hyourinmaru's blade pierced his neck.

"Ryuusenka!" The Arrancar was encased inside a giant ice flower. His angry expression froze on his face. Then the ice shattered and Shawlong shattered with it. Hitsugaya sighed. That had been close. His body was barely working anymore and there was only one petal remaining. He had to dismiss his Bankai before... _crack! _... the last petal broke. Too late. The ice wings crumbled into shards of ice. Hitsugaya's world darkened. He fell from the sky, unconscious.

"Taichou!" Matsumoto shrieked. She dove down to catch him before he hit the ground. Then she carried him to Orihime. "Heal him," she pleaded. Her own wounds could wait.

Just as the golden shield cocooned the white-haired boy, Matsumoto's phone beeped. "Your request for Limit Release was approved, Matsumoto-fukutaichou." She felt the sudden urge to destroy the device, stomp on it and grind it into the pavement, but then she realized that doing so would have prevented her from screaming at the moron on the other side.

"You're late! We don't need it anymore."

"Then you didn't need it to begin with, did you?" Kurotsuchi-taichou's oily voice sounded from the phone. "Don't bother us with needless requests next time." Matsumoto made a mental note to stab Mayuri the next time she saw him. But even in her current state of anger, she knew better than to insult a captain, especially a psychotic one.

"Whatever," she growled. "Just tell Abarai. He still needs it."

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"Limit Release approved!" Renji had never heard sweeter words. Not when he had been admitted into the Academy. Not even when he had been made lieutenant. Though he was doing his best to hold his own against Edrad Liones, he had the sinking feeling that he was still alive only because his opponent was toying with him. Though it was weird that he felt he could afford it even when his comrades' reiatsu kept disappearing one by one. If Renji could feel it correctly, only one other Arrancar was still fighting and he was facing Ichigo. But now the Limit Release had been approved, he could finally turn this battle in his favor.

He straightened up, ignoring the protests of his battered body. This was an important moment and he had to look good during it. He dramatically slid away the clothes covering the camellia tattoo on his chest.

"What's that?" Edrad inquired, sounding only half interested. Renji bit his thumb, making it bleed. It didn't occur to him that he could have used the blood from one of his numerous wounds. And besides, this way it looked cooler. Then he dramatically smeared the blood over the tattoo.

"Limit release," he spoke. "Now I'm going to fight at my full power too." He felt the restraints on his power fading away. Suddenly he didn't feel so exhausted anymore. He was going to show this fiend.

Edrad felt the sudden increase in the shinigami's reiatsu. What was going on? He prided himself on his smarts, but now he was confused. Where did his opponent's power come from? And why was he using it now, when his body was barely holding up? Why didn't he use it earlier? It made no tactical sense. And the lieutenant didn't look like a complete idiot.

He was brought out of his musings by the sight of Hihiou Zabimaru speeding towards him. He knew he should dodge, but it was too fast to avoid in his current bulky form. He was sure it hadn't been moving so fast before. He had to block. But he wasn't too worried. So far the shinigami could inflict only superficial wounds and that was before he had used Ressureción. Even with his current increased strength, he won't be able to cause him serious harm.

He changed his opinion when the bone snake's jaws closed around his arm. It was a lot stronger than he had thought! Before he could do anything, the red light, so much resembling a Cero, appeared again. The beam hit him point blank.

Renji wanted to admire the results of his Hikotsu Taihou, but he knew that the Arrancar might not be dead yet. He quickly shunpoed to where his enemy had landed. And he found him lying on the ground, his left arm completely obliterated and blood covering his torso, but still alive and conscious.

"Damn it, I didn't expect you to be this strong," Edrad spoke.

"I'm five times stronger now," the lieutenant informed him, readying another attack. The Arrancar tried to counter it, but as he lifted his remaining arm to throw a flaming punch at Abarai, he was stopped by a sudden jolt of pain. The second was all that Renji needed. Hihiou Zabimaru's jaws closed around Edrad's body again.

"Hikotsu Taihou!" This time there was nothing to protect the Arrancar from the worst blast. His arm was gone and his Hierro was damaged. The energy beam completely obliterated him. Renji stood over the crater where his opponent used to be. This had been too close for comfort. If the permission to lift the limit came just a bit later... But at least he had won. That was what counted.

Then he sagged to the ground, completely exhausted.

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Ichigo was livid. That blue-haired bastard had hurt Rukia. As he saw the girl's body slumped on the ground, with a pool of blood slowly spreading under it, he couldn't even be sure whether she was still alive (as much as shinigami could be called alive). Grimmjow was going to pay. That was all the redhead cared about at the moment. He attacked with fury. He flashed to Grimmjow's side so fast that the Arrancar had only enough time to look surprised before Tensa Zangetsu sliced his side. Unfortunately the wound wasn't deep.

"So you have it in you!" Grimmjow grinned. "That means I don't have to hold back anymore!" He blocked Ichigo's next strike. And then he attacked.

The fight seemed even. Rage was giving Ichigo the strength to match Grimmjow blow for blow. He used all the speed Tensa Zangetsu could give him. For a moment it looked like he was getting the upper hand. Then Grimmjow hit him with a Bala to the chest and sent him flying. Ichigo hadn't expected it, having never seen the technique used before. But he shook off the effects quickly. The Bala wasn't powerful enough to really hurt him. He jumped to his feet and sent a silent Getsuga Tenshou at the fast approaching Grimmjow. The Arrancar somehow managed to dodge. Then it was melee fighting again.

Both fighters managed to score a few glancing hits, but nothing that would influence the outcome of the battle. Unfortunately that didn't last. Ichigo's rage was slowly dissipating and the strain of using his maximum speed was taking its toll. He couldn't keep up with Grimmjow's tempo anymore. The Arrancar was gaining the upper hand and Ichigo was being forced into defensive. He didn't like it. He gathered all his strength and willpower in an attempt to turn the tables on Grimmjow. It didn't work as well as he imagined. His Getsuga Tenshou did wound the Espada, but not too deeply. The Espada retaliated with vengeance and when Ichigo tried to dodge, his much-abused legs couldn't obey his demands and he stumbled. Grimmjow's sword bit deep into his side. And before the Substitute Shinigami could get up, Grimmjow fired a Cero at him. Ichigo blocked most of it, but the power of the attack threw him back. He landed close to the downed Rukia.

"Well, Ichigo," Grimmjow said, "it has been fun, but all good things come to an end. And this is yours. But as you fought so valiantly, let me show you my real power before you die."

_Real power? _Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. _This still wasn't everything the Arrancar could do? Just how much stronger is he?_

"I will get much stronger when I release my zanpakutou and assume my true form," Grimmjow explained. Ichigo pushed himself to his feet. He couldn't just lay down and do nothing. It would mean not only his death but Rukia's as well and there was no way he was letting it happen, no matter how much injuries covered his body. But before he could try one last desperate attack or Grimmjow could release his zanpakutou, they were interrupted by a new arrival.

"My, my, you certainly are noisy," a bored voice drawled. Both fighters turned to look at its source.

"Who the fuck are you?" Grimmjow growled as he saw the newcomer. He was a rather ordinary looking blond guy in dress shirt and pants and old-fashioned hat. His only notable feature was his wide mouth full of big teeth. And also the fact that he was standing on air and holding a sword in his hand. Ichigo felt that he'd seen this guy before, but couldn't recall where.

"Me?" the man shrugged carelessly. "Just somebody who got woken up from a good night's sleep by your racket. I really don't like to butt in into shinigami fights, but I guess it can't be helped."

"You won't be butting into my fights ever again," Grimmjow growled and charged at the blond man. The newcomer blocked his sword with seemingly no effort. That pissed off Grimmjow and he tried to fry him with a Cero at close range. The guy dodged easily and slashed at Grimmjow's back. The Espada blocked.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked. He appreciated the help, but a complete stranger powerful enough to fight Grimmjow appearing just in the nick of time was odd to say the least.

"I'm wounded, Ichigo," the stranger said. "We met only this morning and you already forgot me?" Then Ichigo remembered. Usually a transfer student would be a big deal, but so much had happened today that it barely registered. Was it really still the same day?

"Hirako?" Ichigo tried.

"So you remember me after all," Shinji grinned, batting away Grimmjow's attacks absent-mindedly.

"You're fighting me!" the Arrancar reminded him, punctuating his words with a stab at Hirako's torso. He managed to get through his guard. It was just a small wound, but blood stained Shinji's shirt.

"Looks like I'll have to take you seriously," Shinji sighed. He lifted his hand to his brow in a seemingly careless movement. Then he slammed it down suddenly. A Hollow mask appeared on his face. Ichigo and Grimmjow stared. Then Hirako moved with stunning speed and Grimmjow barely blocked. He was still flung far away by the strength behind the attack.

"You seem to be very strong, so I won't go easy on you, Arrancar," Hirako said, charging a Cero. Ichigo stared some more. Grimmjow realized what danger he was in and dodged the deadly beam.

"I'm not going to go easy on you either," he shouted. "I'll use my real power!" he prepared to release, but before he could do so, his sword arm was caught in an iron grip. The Espada turned around in surprise. And froze.

"Tousen," he whispered.

"Tousen," Hirako spat.

"Sheathe your sword, Grimmjow," the traitorous captain ordered.

"What? Why the hell are you here?" the Arrancar demanded.

"Why?" Tousen echoed. "Do you really not understand?" Grimmjow's expression showed clearly that he didn't.

"Taking it upon yourself to invade Living World, mobilizing five Arrancar and attacking the shinigami, it was all against orders. Do you understand, right? Aizen-sama is furious." Grimmjow looked scared. Ichigo would have never believed he was capable of such expression until he saw it with his own eyes. "We're going. Your punishment will be decided in Hueco Mundo."

"Shit. Alright," was all that Grimmjow said.

"Where are you going?" Ichigo shouted.

"To Hueco Mundo," Grimmjow answered as Tousen opened a Garganta.

"What do you think you are doing?" Hirako hissed at Ichigo.

"We can get them now," the redhead said.

"There's two of them," Shinji pointed out.

"There's two of us as well," Ichigo countered.

"You're barely standing," Hirako observed. That was unfortunately true, but Ichigo didn't let it deter him.

"I can still fight."

"Not well enough to defeat them," the blond man said. "You have to let them go tonight." He didn't even have to say it. The Garganta had already closed behind the two Aizen's servants. Ichigo still fumed, but a part of his mind recognized that Hirako was right. He was tired and wounded and trying to fight on in his current state would probably end up badly. That didn't mean he liked the fact.

He looked at Hirako. The mysterious (and probably fake) student had removed the Hollow mask, but the boy couldn't forget that it had been there. That brought on a question.

"Who are you? What are you?"

"Me? Hirako Shinji, as I said before. I'm a Visored. A shinigami with Hollow powers. Just like you." Oh, so he was one of the guys Yoruichi and Urahara had told him about. Why didn't he realize it sooner?

"No."

"What no?" Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have Hollow powers," Ichigo elaborated. He had made sure of that.

"You're deluding yourself," Shinji disagreed. "I can clearly feel them."

"What?" Ichigo felt a stab of fear. He had squashed any doubts about his Hollow being gone before, but this was an expert talking about it. Could he be right?

"It's true," Hirako nodded. "If you don't learn to control them, the monster inside you would eat your soul and then turn on your friends." _Friends? _That reminded Ichigo...

"Rukia!" He turned around and rushed to the girl's side. He quickly checked her health. She was alive, but she was struggling to take every breath. It looked bad. Ichigo picked her up carefully and raced towards Inoue's apartment. Hopefully he'll be in time for Orihime to work her miracles on Rukia.

Shinji watched him go. "Well," he said with a sigh, "I'll come back when you have more time, Ichigo." The redhead was too far to hear him. Then the Visored disappeared in shunpo, heading towards his companions' hideout.


End file.
